eteorology

1
eteorology
M

• Meteorology is the study of the atmosphere and
  the interaction between the atmosphere and the
  land, ocean, and life

• The physics, chemistry, and unique processes of
  Earths atmosphere are explored in great detail
  by meteorologists
• Meteorologists try to completely understand the
  atmosphere, so they can predict how it is going
  to behave

2
umerical Models
N

• Mathematical calculations that provide
  oceanographers with detailed views of circulation
  in the oceans
• Two main types of numerical models
• Mechanistic models simplified models that
  examine the mathematics behind physical processes
• Simulation models complex models that can be
  used to calculate the realistic flow in the ocean

• What are some of the advantages and disadvantages
  of using numerical models?
• Advantage
• The models can be used to simulate realistic flow
  and predict future flow in the ocean
• Disadvantage
• The models cannot give completely accurate
  descriptions of the flow in the ocean

3
cean
O
http//www.ngdc.noaa.gov/

• A large body of salt water
• Millions of years ago Earths surface was very
  hot and all the water boiled away
• Volcanoes released large amounts of steam into
  the atmosphere
• As Earth cooled, the steam changed to water
  vapor, and condensed to raindrops
• Rain fell thousands of years filling all the
  cracks on Earth with ocean water

• What impact does air-sea interaction have on
  Earth?
• The ocean constantly interacts with the
  atmosphere, exchanging
• heat, moisture, and carbon dioxide (CO2)
• The air-sea interaction drives our weather
• patterns and influences the slowly
• occurring but dramatic changes in
• our climate

4
hytoplankton
P

• Microscopic, single-celled marine plants that
• need water, CO2, sunlight, and chemical
  nutrients to grow
• Phytoplankton use a pigment called chlorophyll to
  capture sunlight during photosynthesis
• They decrease the amount of sunlight that reaches
  deeper water
• Confines oceanic heating to a small layer
• Why are phytoplankton important?
• Approximately half of the oxygen we breathe
• is produced by phytoplankton
• They take in CO2 from the atmosphere at the
• same rate as land plants
• All marine life is dependent upon the quantity
• of phytoplankton available

http//www.gma.org/onlocation/globecactiv.html
5

• Extension of Phytoplankton
• Currents can usually be traced by their supply
  of phytoplankton
• Scientists use satellites to remotely observe
  chlorophyll, which is contained in the
• phytoplankton
• The images tell them
• How much phytoplankton is present in the
  ocean
• Where they are located
• How much work they are performing
• How their populations are changing
• On Earth, humans can observe the phytoplankton
• present in lakes and oceans
• Chlorophyll absorbs blue and red light
• and reflects green light
• A water source that appears green in
• color most likely contains some phytoplankton

6
uikSCAT
Q

• A satellite NASA uses to create an image of the
  surface winds on Earth
• The QuikSCAT satellite carries a SeaWinds
  scatterometer
• A scatterometer is a microwave radar that can
  measure near-surface wind speed and direction
  over the ocean under any weather conditions
• Why are scatterometers useful?
• They are giving meteorologists
• More accurate measurements of the winds
  associated with storms
• Advanced warning of high waves and flooding

http//science.hq.nasa.gov/
7
ain
R
http//lennthompson.typepad.com/lenndevours/miscel
laneous_sips/index.html

• Precipitation that falls from clouds toward
  Earths surface
• Rain is an important part of the climate
• The latent heat released into the atmosphere upon
  the formation of raindrops is a significant form
  of energy that drives circulation in the
  atmosphere
• Why do meteorologists, oceanographers, and
  climate scientists find it important to measure
  rainfall patterns?
• Scientists suspect that after rainfall the layers
  of fresh water at the
• surface of the ocean affect circulation in
  the ocean
• Rainfall appears to calm the seas
• Scientists question impact of rainfall on ocean
  damping

8

• Extension of Rain
• Drizzle water droplets with a diameter less
  than 0.5 millimeters (mm)
• Rain water droplets with a diameter greater
  than or equal to 0.5 mm
• The diameter of a raindrop that reaches
  Earths surface is usually no greater
• than 6 mm
• The shape of a raindrop is dependent on its
  size
• Almost spherical raindrops less than 2 mm in
  diameter
• Surface tension squeezes the drop into a
  sphere because
• spheres have the smallest surface area for
  their total volume
• Flattened bottom, rounded top raindrops with
  diameters bigger than 2 mm
• Larger air pressure on the drop as it falls,
  flattens the bottom, while lower
• air pressure on the sides of the drop allows
  the sides to expand

1
9
ea Spray
S

• There are two types
• Film or jet droplets bubbles in the ocean rise
  to the surface and burst, releasing water
  droplets into the air
• Spume droplets the wind is strong enough to
  tear off water particles from the tops of waves

http//www.pdphoto.org/

• How does sea spray impact the earth?
• Once sea spray becomes airborne, the particles
  scatter radiation and transfer heat, momentum,
  and moisture to and from the atmosphere
• If the sea spray evaporates entirely, sea salt
  particles
• are left in the air
• The particles act as nuclei for clouds and fog to
  form
• They impact Earths annual heat budget

10

• Extension of Sea Spray
• 1000 micrometers 1 millimeter
• Radius of film or jet droplets ranges from
  approximately 1 to 10
• micrometers
• Radius of spume droplets ranges from
  approximately 10 to 1000
• micrometers

• The radius of a circle

http//science.nhmccd.edu/biol/dropdrag/superimpos
ed.htm
11
ides
T

• The regular rise and fall of the ocean waters
• Caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and
  Sun, and the rotation of Earth
• The rising of Earths surface is called high
  tide, or flood tide
• The centrifugal force away from the moon leaves
  the water on the side opposite to the Moon to
  form another high tide
• Low tides, or ebb tides, are the portions of the
  tidal cycle between high tides

• What impacts the time tides occur each day?
• The combination of Earths rotation and the
  Moons orbit
• If the Moon did not rotate around Earth, the
  tides would
• occur at the same time every day

12

• Extension of Tides
• The rise and fall of the tides is periodic
• Periodic occurring in regular cycles
• There are three types of tides
• Semidiurnal Tides
• Produce two high tides and two low
• tides during a 24 hour period (1 day)
• Diurnal Tides
• Produce one high tide and one low
• tide during a 24 hour period (1 day)
• Mixed Tides
• Produce two high tides and two low
• tides during a 24 hour period (1 day)
• There are great differences between the
• heights of the high tides and the low tides
• To the right are tide curves for the three
• common types of tides
• Curves show tidal patterns during a 48 hour
• period (2 days) at various locations around

4
13
pwelling
U

• Vertical movement of water from
• the ocean floor up to the surface

• Coastal Upwelling - occurs when winds blow with
  the shore on the left
• Surface water is pushed away from the beach and
  deep, nutrient-rich, cold ocean water rises in
  its place
• Coastal Downwelling - when winds blow with the
  shore on the right
• Surface water is pushed toward the beach, forced
  downward, and then out to sea

• Northern Hemisphere ocean water moves 90 to
  right of wind
• Southern Hemisphere ocean water moves 90 to
  left of wind

14
ector Wind Stress
V

• The horizontal force per area of wind on the
  ocean surface
• Vector wind stress impacts
• Generation of waves
• Movement of surface currents
• How does vector wind stress impact air-sea
  interaction?
• Through wind stress the atmosphere is able to
  transfer momentum to the ocean

http//www.pfeg.noaa.gov/products/las/sample_gifs.
html
15
aves
W

• As wind passes over the water, friction between
  the air and the water causes the water to ripple
• Characteristics of waves
• Period time for two crests or troughs to pass a
  point
• Wave frequency number of waves that pass a
  point in one second
• What determines the size of waves?
• How fast the wind is blowing
• How far the wind blows
• How long the wind blows

20
16

• Extension of Waves
• As a wave passes, water particles lift up,
  move
• forward with the waves crest, and then
  sink down
• and move backward with the waves trough
• When water particles in the trough hit the
  sand,
  
• friction causes them to slow down, but the
  water
• particles in the crest do not slow down
• When the water in the crest gets too far ahead
  
• for the trough to be able to support it, a
  breaker
• forms, which is a wave where the crest
  crashes
• on top of the trough

20
17
Heat Flu
X

• The passing of heat through
• or across a surface
• The heat flux within shallow
• layers is much greater than
• within deep layers of the
• ocean

The mean annual radiation and heat balance of
Earth

• Example of the importance
• of heat flux to Earth
• Earth must maintain an
• annual balance between the
• amount of heat absorbed by
• its surface and released
• back into the atmosphere

16
W m-2 (watts per square meter) is the unit used
to represent the power per square area that comes
from the sun
18
Oceanograph
Y

• Scientific study and exploration of the oceans
• Dependent on physics, chemistry, biology,
  geology, and meteorology
• Covers a wide range of topics
• currents, waves, tides, marine organisms, ocean
  floor, etc.
• Oceanographers must be able to apply knowledge
  from various branches of study to truly
  understand and be able to explain the behavior of
  the ocean environment

• Is there more than one type of oceanography?
• Yes
• Biological oceanography (Marine biology)
  study of marine
• plants and animals
• Chemical oceanography study of the chemistry
  of the ocean
• and ocean floor
• Geological oceanography study of the ocean
  floor
• Physical oceanography study of ocean
  processes and air-sea
• interactions

http//www.capemalta.net/maltapageOP/operocean.htm
l
19
ooplankton
Z
Krill

• Micro- or macroscopic animals that drift in the
  ocean
• Zooplankton can live at any ocean depth
• In comparison to any other animal, zooplankton
  have the greatest quantity spread over the
  largest area
• Typically found near large quantities of
  phytoplankton
• Concentrated in areas of upwelling

http//www.mar-eco.no/learning-zone/__data/page/93
/Krill3.jpg

• Why are zooplankton important?
• They are a stable source of food
• for many larger animals

http//www.gma.org/onlocation/globecactiv.html
20
References

• 1. Ahrens, C. D. (2005). Essentials of
  Meteorology An Invitation to the Atmosphere (4th
  ed.). California Thomson.
• 2. Feldman, J. C. Ocean Planet Oceanographic
  Facts. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved July
  13, 2007, fromhttp//seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/OCEAN_
  PLANET/HTML/education_ oceanographic_facts.html
• 3. Greely, T. (1998, Fall). Lesson 1 Why are the
  Oceans Important? Project Oceanography.
  Retrieved July 13, 2007, from http//www.marine.u
  sf.edu/pjocean/packets/
• 4. Groves, D. (1989). The Oceans A Book of
  Questions and Answers. New York John Wiley
  Sons, Inc.
• 5. Herring, D. Ocean Climate Physical Coupling
  with the Atmosphere. NASA. Retrieved June 7,
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  y/OceanClimate/ocean- atmos_phys.html.
• 6. Hutchinson, S. Hawkins, L. E. (2005).
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• 7. Kawasaki, K. (2006, September 5). Mapping the
  Oceans. NASA. Retrieved June 7, 2007, from
  http//sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/education/jason-game/
  game-mapping-oceans.pdf
• 8. Kawasaki, K. (2006, September 5). See How
  Winds Drive Ocean Currents. NASA. Retrieved June
  7, 2007, from http//sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/educati
  on/jason- game/game-activity2.pdf
• 9. Looking at the Sea Physical Features of the
  Ocean. (1998). Science Learning Network.
  Retrieved June 7, 2007, from http//www.mos.org/o
  ceans/planet/features.html
• 10. Looking at the Sea The Water Cycle. (1998).
  Science Learning Network. Retrieved June 7,
  2007, from http//www.mos.org/oceans/planet/cycle.
  html

21
Extension of References

• 11. Mueller, J. A. Veron, F. (2006). A
  LaGrangian Turbulent Transport Model of Evolving
  Sea-Spray Droplets over the Ocean. AMS 14th
  Conference on Interaction of the Sea and
  Atmosphere. (Vol. P4.3)
• 12. Niller, P. (1993). Gulf Stream. In The World
  Book Encyclopedia (Vol. 8, pp. 462-463).
  Chicago World Book, Inc.
• 13. Nystuen, J. (2000, June 14). Listening to
  Raindrops Using Underwater Microphones to
  Measure Ocean Rainfall. NASA. Retrieved June 7,
  2007, from http//earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study
  /Rain/
• 14. Ocean in Motion. (2004, April 7). Office of
  Naval Research. Retrieved June 8, 2007, from
  http//www.onr.navy.mil/focus/ocean/default.htm
• 15. Program 1 The Who? What? Where? How? And
  Whys? of Plankton. (1997, Fall). Project
  Oceanography. Retrieved July 13, 2007, from
  http//www.marine.usf.edu/ pjocean/packets/
• 16. Sample, S. (2005, June 21). Climate
  Variability. NASA. Retrieved June 8, 2007, from
  http//science.hq.nasa.gov/oceans/system/climate.
  html
• 17. Sample, S. (2005, June 21). Sea Surface
  Temperature. NASA. Retrieved June 26, 2007, from
  http//science.hq.nasa.gov/oceans/physical/SST.htm
  l
• 18. Sample, S. (2005, June 21). The Water Cycle.
  NASA. Retrieved June 8, 2007, from
  http//science.hq.nasa.gov/oceans/system/water.ht
  ml
• 19. Stewart, R. H. (2005). An Introduction to
  Physical Oceanography. Texas Texas A M
  University.
• 20. Stull, R.B. (1988). An Introduction to
  Boundary Layer Meteorology. In Atmospheric
  Sciences Library (Vol. 13). Massachusetts
  Kluwer Academic Publishers.

22
Extension of References

• 21. Tarbuck, E. J. Lutgens, F. K. (2003). Earth
  Science (10th ed.). New Jersey Pearson
  Education.
• 22. The Living Sea. (1998). Science Learning
  Network. Retrieved June 7, 2007, from
  http//www.mos.org/oceans/life/index.html
• 23. VanCleave, J. (1996). Oceans for Every Kid
  Easy Activities that Make Learning Science Fun.
  New York John Wiley Sons, Inc.
• 24. Water on the Move Current Events. (1998).
  Science Learning Network. Retrieved June 7,
  2007, from http//www.mos.org/oceans/motion/curren
  ts.html
• 25. Water on the Move Wind and Waves. (1998).
  Science Learning Network. Retrieved June 7,
  2007, from http//www.mos.org/oceans/motion/wind.h
  tml

LEEANNE HAZZARD is a senior at Elizabethtown
College, where she is working on her Secondary
Mathematics certification. Leeanne created this
ABCs to Oceanography booklet as part of the
Oceanography Outreach Project she completed
during a REU Summer Internship.
Created by Leeanne Hazzard Fabrice Veron,
2007 Air-Sea Interaction Laboratory College of
Marine and Earth Studies University of Delaware