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.