Exam 10: Wind Global Systems

The general circulation of the atmosphere represents the actual air flow around the world and not just an average.

The Ekman Spiral describes​

Major ocean currents in the North Indian Ocean reverse direction between summer and winter.

The reversal of the positions of surface high and low pressure at opposite ends of the Pacific Ocean is called​

At the equator,Earth rotates toward the east at a speed close to 1000 knots.On a windless day,the air above moves ____ at ____ speed.​

The low-level jet that forms over the Central Plains of the United States in the summer appears to be responsible for​

The jet stream flows​

Over the North Pacific Ocean,periodic changes in surface water temperature can influence weather along the west coast of North America for much longer periods of time than El Nino and La Nina.These changes are called the ____________________.​

The cold water observed along the northern California coast in summer is due mainly to​

The El Nino event of 1972-1973,one of the first to be studied in depth,reduced the annual Peruvian anchovy catch by more than ____ percent.​

Jet streams can form near Earth's surface as well.One such jet develops just above the central plains of the United States,where it occasionally attains speeds exceeding 60 knots.This wind speed maximum,which usually flows from the south or southwest,is known as a(n)____________________ jet.​

A thermally direct cell is one that

In the three-cell model of the atmosphere,upper level winds are incorrectly predicted to flow from ____.​

Incorporating continents into the single-cell model would not have any effect on the circulation of air in the model.

The average winds aloft are strongest in ____________________.​

The large thermally driven convection cell that is driven by convective "hot" towers along the equator is the​

On a large circle,show and describe where the major pressure and wind belts would be found according to the 3-cell model of Earth's general circulation.​

The polar front is a boundary separating the cold polar air to the north from the warm subtropical air to the south,hence the greatest contrast in air temperature occurs along the frontal zone.Therefore,the polar front has a lot of influence on the development of the polar jet stream.

During a major El Niño event,​

____________________ momentum is defined as the product of the mass (m)times the velocity (v)times the radial distance (r).​