ESS227
Prof. Jin-Yi Yu
What Are the Issues?
qThe fundamental aim is to understand the circulations of the atmosphere and ocean and the observed distributions of physical quantities such as temperature.
qThe temperature distribution can be viewed as the result of a "competition" between the sun, which tries to warm the tropics more than the poles (and so create horizontal contrasts), and gravity , which tries to remove horizontal contrasts and arrange for warmer fluid to overlie colder fluid.
qThis "competition“ is complicated by such effects as the rotation of the earth, the variation of the angle between gravity and the rotation axis (the beta effect), and contrasts between the properties of air and  water.