The Gulf Stream is an extensive ocean current stretching from the tip of Florida to across the northern Atlantic Ocean. Benjamin Franklin and his cousin mapped the stream which helped America win the Revolutionary War. This held an advantage because sailors could use the Gulf Stream to go faster if they were going in the same direction rather than going against it. This current carries nearly 100 million cubic meters of water per second. The Gulf Stream is driven by Global Winds. Global Winds always blow in the same orientation and push ocean water. Winds near the equator blow from east to west, meanwhile, winds farther near the poles go from west to east. The Gulf Stream begins off the coast of Florida between Cuba at the equator. Global Winds blow the current west, toward Florida and it hits the coast, causing it to turn and follow the coastline The current, then, flows North, following the coast of North America. When the current reaches New England, winds moving from west to east push the current across the northern Atlantic. Since this current originates from the equator, it is warm and contains a lot of thermal energy. The thermal energy will be transferred to the cooler air above it, causing the air temperature to rise. Therefore, the east coast of North America and Western Europe are warmer.
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Summary
- Back then, sailors perceived that particular winds aren't always present in particular regions.
- Due to Earth's axial tilt (23.5°) the sun's energy hit some places more directly than others. (Ex: The equator is hit more directly than the poles)
- Cold air is denser than warm air, therefore, it sinks, forming high-pressure areas.
- Air that is warm, rises, forming low-pressure areas.
- Air will always flow from high to low-pressure areas.
- Because of Earth's rotation, anything on the surface will follow a curved pattern. This is called the Coriolis Effect, which highly affects prevailing winds.
- In the Northern hemisphere, air moving from North to South will be deflected to the left. Whereas, from the equator to the poles, air will be deflected right.
- The orientation of constant winds changes every 30° (latitude).
- At 90°, the air is cold and dense, forming a high-pressure area. At 60°, the air is warmer, forming a low-pressure area. At 30°, the air is denser and cooler, constructing a high-pressure area. At 0°, the equator consists of warm air, creating a low-pressure area.
- As a result of the Coriolis Effect, global winds will spin clockwise or counterclockwise.
- There are 3 main prevailing belts: the Polar Easterlies, the Westerlies, and the Trade Winds.
- The Polar Easterlies are the preeminent winds found between 60° and the poles.
- Air from high-pressure areas moves to low-pressure areas, therefore, at 90°, the wind will curve towards 60°, toward low pressure.
Global Winds Video Notes
(the other notes+diagram is in notebook)
Notes
- Westerlies are found in between 60° and 30° of latitude.
- The Coriolis Effect moves the Westerlies from west to east.
- The Trade Winds will move from 30° where there are high-pressure areas, toward the equator (0°) which has low-pressure areas.
- The Trade WInds are also called Tropical Easterlies because they move from east to west.
- The Doldrums, or the Intertropical Convergence Zone, receive a lot of energy from the sun because of their position near the equator (0°-5°), causing the air to rise vertically instead of horizontally. This causes the region to contain very little wind.
- The Horse Latitudes also experience very little wind.
- The Horse Latitudes are located at high-pressure areas, hence, they part ways and search for low-pressure areas.
- The Westerlies will curve toward 60° latitude.
- Trade Winds will curve toward the equator.
- Sailors try to refrain from going into places such as the Horse Latitudes or the Doldrums because they need strong winds to push their boat.
Global Winds Video Notes (Continuation
(the other notes+diagram is in notebook)
Notes
