ATM OCN (Meteorology) 100

PLANETARY SCALE CIRCULATION of the
EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

PART I - OBSERVATION & THEORY

Summer 2000

Lecture #17 scheduled for:

12 JUL 2000 (W) and 14 JUL 2000 (R)

Pages 227-234; 427-438; 287-288; 245-247.

Today's Lecture Objectives:

To locate on a map the principal prevailing wind regimes associated with the planetary-scale circulation.
To locate on a map the semi-permanent surface pressure systems or "centers of action" that influence the planetary-scale circulation.
To relate the named prevailing wind fields to the global air pressure distribution.
To describe and explain the distribution of precipitation at representative locations.
To sketch and label a cross-section diagram showing the idealized three - cell model of global atmospheric circulation.
To describe the results of the "dishpan experiments" and how they simulate the global scale atmospheric circulation.
To describe the seasonal changes in the major features of the planetary-scale circulation regime.
To discuss the influence of ocean - continent distribution on global pressure distribution.
To describe the seasonal variations in the monsoon wind regime, focusing upon the monsoon system of south Asia.
To describe the relationship between the Southern Oscillation and a major El Niño event.

Outline:

A. INTRODUCTION

B. GLOBAL SCALE PREVAILING SURFACE WINDS

Historical Observations
Names of the Principal Prevailing Surface Winds

C. AVERAGE SEA-LEVEL PRESSURE PATTERNS

Locating and naming the semi-permanent Surface Pressure "Centers of Action"
Relationships between Prevailing winds and Major Pressure Patterns
Relationships between Prevailing winds, "Centers of Action" and Major Ocean Currents
Relationships between "Centers of Action" and Major Biome Patterns

Tropical Rain Forests
Subtropical Deserts
Polar Deserts

D. PLANETARY-SCALE ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION: THEORETICAL ASPECTS

Historical Perspective
Recent Theories
Overall Observed Wind Structure in the Vertical
Resultant Causes
Role of The Planetary Scale Atmospheric Circulation
Consequences

Heat Transfer
Water Transport
Momentum Transport

E. VARIATIONS IN THE PLANETARY SCALE CIRCULATION

Seasonal Changes in Planetary Scale Circulation
Global Differences
Multiannual Oscillations

El Niño - Southern Oscillation [ENSO Events]
La Niña

F. MONSOON CIRCULATION

Definition
Situation
Monsoon Climatology
Causes

Links to Other References:

El Niño Theme pages from NOAA/TOGA-TOA
The El Niño module from Weather World 2010 (Univ. of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign).

Last revision 6 June 2000

Produced by Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D.

Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 53706

hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu

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