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Island Physics

CIRCULATION aND CLIMATE

Home >> Oceanography >> Circulation and Climate
Global Heating >>

This topic will look at the role of the atmosphere and the oceans on a global scale as a method of transferring heat and the massive effect that they have on the world's climate system. The Earth is unevenly heated and covered with two quite different fluids, the atmosphere (gas) and the ocean (liquid), which are both free to move.  The movement of these fluids is primarily driven by changes in density.  The two interact with other, which complicates things a bit more!  The fact that the oceans are also constrained by the geography of the continents and ridges and that the continents affect the pattern of the heating of the atmosphere further add to this.  Throw in that all this occurs on a spinning Earth and it becomes even more challenging.  The easiest way of studying this is to split the circulations into sections.

The overall effect of this global ocean/atmosphere circulation system is that heat is transported from the tropics to the polar regions.  In physics terms, it is a gigantic heat engine.
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3.1 - Global Heating, Seasons and Hadley Cells

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3.2 - The Coriolis Effect

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3.3 - Surface Currents

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3.4 - Vertical Motion

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3.5 - Thermohaline Circulation

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3.6 - El Nino
Global Heating >>
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    • Waves
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  • Physics I
    • Kinematics >
      • Variables and Units
      • Describing Motion
      • Equations of Motion
      • Problem Solving
      • Projectiles
      • Kinematics Animations
    • Dynamics >
      • Forces
      • Static Equilibrium
      • Newton's Laws
      • Friction
      • Advanced Problems
    • Gravitation and Orbits >
      • Circular Motion
      • Vertical Circles
      • Universal Gravitation
      • Orbits
      • Circular Motion Animation
    • Energy >
      • Work
      • Springs
      • PE and KE
      • Conservation of Energy
      • Work-Energy Theorem
    • Linear Momentum >
      • Impulse
      • Conservation of Momentum
      • Types of Collision
      • 2-D Collisions
    • Simple Harmonic Motion >
      • Mass on Spring
      • Pendulums
      • SHM Animations
    • Rotational Mechanics >
      • Torque
      • Rotational Kinematics
      • Rotational Dynamics
      • Angular Momentum
      • Rotational Energy
    • Mechanical Waves >
      • Waves on a String
      • Sound
    • AP-1 Revision
    • AP Physics C (Mechanics)
  • Physics II
    • Fluid Mechanics
    • Thermal Physics
    • Electrostatics
    • Magnetic Fields >
      • EM Induction
    • Interference and Diffraction
    • Optics
    • Modern Physics
    • AP 2 Revision
  • OCEANOGRAPHY
    • The World Ocean >
      • What is Oceanography
      • History
      • Lat and Long
      • Size and Origin
      • Plate Tectonics
    • Seawater >
      • A Salty Sea
      • Measuring Salinity
      • Thermal Properties
      • Density Profiles
      • Drinking Seawater
    • Circulation and Climate >
      • Global Heating
      • Coriolis Effect
      • Surface Currents
      • Vertical Motion
      • Thermohaline Circulation
      • El Nino
      • Carbon Cycle
    • Waves and Tides >
      • Wave Motion
      • Formation of Waves
      • Beaches
      • Tsunamis
      • Tides
    • Observation Systems >
      • Challenges
      • The CTD
      • Moorings
      • Sound Waves
      • Robotics
      • Satellites
    • Weather and Navigation >
      • Weather Systems
      • Weather Forecasting
      • Hurricanes
      • Navigation
      • Life at Sea
    • Oceans and Mankind >
      • Ocean Acidification
      • Pollution
      • Fish Stocks
      • Climate Change
      • Energy Resources
    • Atlantic Explorer Cruise
    • ROVs
  • COLLEGE
    • College Physics I
    • College Physics II
  • CONTACT