Surface Water Circulation of The Ocean

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MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY OF

CARAGA, INC.

METEOROLOGY &
OCEANOGRAPHY 2
TOPIC # 4
Surface Water Circulation of the Ocean and
Principal Adjoining Seas

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B. BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY & OCEANOGRAPHY 2


COURSE CODE / DESCRIPTIVE TITLE:
METEOROLOGY & OCEANOGRAPHY
2
• Function: A-II/2 Navigation at the Management Level
• STCW’78 Competences: A-II/2.F1.C8. Forecast weather and
oceanographic conditions
• KUP/s A-II/2 F1 C8 KUP2: Knowledge of ocean current systems
• Course Outcomes:
• At the end of the course, students should be able to:
• C03. Interpret ocean current system and principal adjoining seas
using various charts and nautical publications

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
LEARNING OUTCOMES
• After the lesson, the student shall be able to:
1) Define Ocean Currents
2) Identify the principal individual currents by name
3) Define qualitatively the effect of geostrophic force on surface currents
4) Discuss the generation of gradient currents resulting from the indirect effect of
wind causing a piling up of water on windward coasts, as in the case of the
Equatorial Counter Currents
5) Relate the general pattern of surface water circulation to the atmospheric
pressure distribution

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
LEARNING OUTCOMES
• After the lesson, the student shall be able to:
1) Describe the seasonal changes in the above in areas under the influence of
the Asian monsoons
2) Describe the form in which surface current data is presented in current
atlases and on routeing charts

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
OCEAN CURRENTS
• Ocean currents are the continuous, predictable, directional movement of
seawater driven by gravity, wind (Coriolis Effect), and water density.
• Ocean water moves in two directions:
1) horizontally and
2) vertically.
• Horizontal movements are referred to as currents, while vertical changes are
called upwellings or downwellings.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
OCEAN CURRENTS
• Gradient current:
• Is the current which is defined by assuming that the horizontal pressure
gradient in the sea is balanced by the sum of the coriolis and bottom frictional
forces.
• At some distance from the bottom the effect of friction becomes negligible and
above this the gradient and gcostrophic currents are equivalent which is also
known as slope current.
• These are currents originating in oceans and seas as a result of differences in
water column pressure.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
OCEAN CURRENTS
• These differences in pressure are caused by the driving force of winds on the
water, the unequal distribution of the water's density in a basin or the
atmospheric pressure above it and the influx of continental waters or waters
from other sources, and so forth.
• Under the action of the Coriolis force, gradient currents are deflected from the
direction of the pressure gradient to the right in the northern hemisphere and to
the left in the southern hemisphere.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
OCEAN CURRENTS
• Geostrophic current:
• A geostrophic current is an oceanic current in
which the pressure gradient force is balanced
by the Coriolis effect.
• The direction of geostrophic flow is parallel to
the isobars, with the high pressure to the right
of the flow in the Northern Hemisphere, and
the high pressure to the left in the Southern
Hemisphere.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
OCEAN CURRENTS
• Sea water naturally tends to move from a region of high pressure (or high sea
level) to a region of low pressure (or low sea level). The force pushing the water
towards the low-pressure region is called the pressure gradient force.
• In a geostrophic flow, instead of water moving from a region of high pressure
(or high sea level) to a region of low pressure (or low sea level), it moves along
the lines of equal pressure (isobars). This occurs because the Earth is rotating.
• The rotation of the earth results in a "force" being felt by the water moving from
the high to the low, known as Coriolis force. The Coriolis force acts at right
angles to the flow, and when it balances the pressure gradient force, the
resulting flow is known as geostrophic.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
OCEAN CURRENTS
• Ocean currents can be caused by wind, density differences in water masses
caused by temperature and salinity variations, gravity, and events such as
earthquakes or storms.
• There are two distinct current systems in the ocean—surface circulation, which
stirs a relatively thin upper layer of the sea, and deep circulation, which sweeps
along the deep-sea floor.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
OCEAN CURRENTS
• Surface currents in the ocean are driven by global
wind systems that are fueled by energy from the
Sun.
• Patterns of surface currents are determined by wind
direction, Coriolis forces from the Earth’s rotation,
and the position of landforms that interact with the
currents.
• Surface wind-driven currents generate upwelling
currents in conjunction with landforms, creating
deepwater currents.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
OCEAN CURRENTS
• Surface Ocean Currents:
• In the Northern Hemisphere, warm air
around the equator rises and flows
north toward the pole.
• As the air moves away from the
equator, the Coriolis effect deflects it
toward the right.
• It cools and descends near 30 degrees
North latitude.
• The descending air blows from the
northeast to the southwest, back
toward the equator.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
OCEAN CURRENTS
• A similar wind pattern occurs in the
Southern Hemisphere; these winds blow
from the southeast toward the northwest
and descend near 30 degrees South
latitude.
• These prevailing winds, known as the
trade winds, meet at the Intertropical
Convergence Zone (also called the
doldrums) between 5 degrees North and 5
degrees South latitude, where the winds
are calm.
• The remaining air (air that does not
descend at 30 degrees North or South
latitude) continues toward the poles and is
known as the westerly winds, or
westerlies.
INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &
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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
TYPES OF OCEAN CURRENTS
• Horizontal Currents:
1) Surface Currents
• They are currents that occur on the top layer of the ocean and are primarily
driven by wind. They affect the water on the upper 300m of the ocean. The
currents mirror the large-scale circulation of air, mostly derived from unequal
heating of the planet’s surface by the sun.
• The currents, therefore, form rotating systems in the middle of the ocean
systems, called gyres. Surface currents are responsible for redistributing heat
at a planetary scale.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
TYPES OF OCEAN CURRENTS
• Horizontal Currents:
2) Deep-water Currents
• As opposed to surface currents that occur on the upper surface of the ocean,
deep-water currents occur deep inside the ocean.
• As they occur far below the surface, they are not influenced by the wind.
• They arise as a result of variation in the density of the ocean water and are
controlled by the temperature and salt content of the water.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
TYPES OF OCEAN CURRENTS
• Vertical Currents:
3) Upwelling
• Upwelling currents are currents that move from deep in the ocean heading
towards the surface. They are responsible for bringing organic matter from
below the ocean towards its surface.
• It can be seen when there are tremors or earthquakes on the surface below the
ocean and the waves are pushed upwards.
4) Downwelling
• These are currents that move material from the surface of the ocean towards its
floor. Surface water can be forced downwards by the pressure of the water
when currents converge, or wind drives the ocean against a coastline.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
TYPES OF OCEAN CURRENTS
• Coastal upwelling occurs where Ekman transport moves surface waters away
from the coast; surface waters are replaced by water that wells up from below.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
TYPES OF OCEAN CURRENTS
• Ekman transport moves surface waters toward the coast, the water piles up
and sinks in the process known as coastal downwelling.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
WORLD OCEAN CURRENTS
• The currents of the world’s oceans work together to form several general patterns. Currents flow
into each other to form larger currents.
a) Groups of currents in the northern hemisphere flow clockwise. This includes groups of
currents in the North Pacific Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean.
b) Currents in the southern hemisphere flow counterclockwise. This includes groups of currents
in the South Pacific Ocean, the South Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean.
c) Currents flowing towards the equator are colder than the surrounding water. Currents flowing
away from the equator are warmer than the surrounding water.
d) Currents below 60° South flow from east to west (or west to east) around Antarctica.
e) Currents along the Equator also flows east to west (or west to east).
f) Currents flowing from east to west (or west to east) are the same temperature as the
surrounding water.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
WORLD OCEAN CURRENTS
• Overview of the main
open-ocean currents.
1) Red arrows represent warm
water moving toward colder
regions.
2) Blue arrows represent cold
water moving toward warmer
regions.
3) Black arrows represent
currents that don’t involve
significant temperature
changes.
INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &
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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
WORLD OCEAN CURRENTS
• GULF STREAM CURRENT:
• The Gulf Stream is a strong
ocean current that brings warm
water from the Gulf of Mexico
into the Atlantic Ocean.
• It extends all the way up the
eastern coast of the United
States and Canada.
• The Gulf Stream is a strong
ocean current that brings warm
water from the Gulf of Mexico
into the Atlantic Ocean.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
WORLD OCEAN CURRENTS
• NORWEGIAN CURRENT:
• The North Atlantic Drift bifurcates into two
branches on reaching the eastern part of
the ocean.
• The northern branch continues as North
Atlantic Drift; reaches the British Isles from
where it flows along the coast of Norway as
the warm Norwegian Current and enters the
Arctic Ocean.
• The southern branch flows between Spain
and Azores Island as the cold Canaries
Current.
• The Canaries Current finally joins the North
Equatorial Current and completes the
circuit.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
WORLD OCEAN CURRENTS
• ALGUHAS CURRENT:
• This warm water current runs south along the east
coast of southern Africa from 25°S to 40°S, and is
the Western Boundary Current of the South Indian
Ocean.
• A part of this current moving in between the African
mainland and Mozambique is called the warm
Mozambique Current.
• The Agulhas’s tributaries include the Mozambique
Current, the East Madagascar Current, and
anti-clockwise recirculatory flow in the SW Indian
Ocean.
• Agulhas Current merges with the West Wind Drift
when it crosses the Indian Ocean.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
WORLD OCEAN CURRENTS
• KORUSHIO CURRENT:
• The Kuroshio, also known as the Black or Japan
Current or the Black Stream, is a north-flowing,
warm ocean current on the west side of the
North Pacific Ocean.
• The Kuroshio Current is the Pacific analogue of
the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean,
transporting warm, tropical water northward
toward the polar region.
• Kuroshio is a fast ocean current (2 to 4 knots).

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
WORLD OCEAN CURRENTS
• ALASKA CURRENT:
• Alaska Current, surface
oceanic current, a branch of the
West Wind Drift that forms a
counterclockwise gyre in the
Gulf of Alaska.
• In contrast to typical sub-Arctic
Pacific water, Alaska Current
water is characterized by
temperatures above 39° F (4°
C) and surface salinities below
32.6 parts per thousand.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
WORLD OCEAN CURRENTS
• BRAZIL CURRENT:
• The Brazil Current is a warm water
current that flows south along the
Brazilian south coast to the mouth of the
Río de la Plata.
• This current is caused by diversion of a
portion of the Atlantic South Equatorial
Current from where that current meets
the South American continent.
• At about 35⁰ south latitude, due to the
influence of westerlies and the rotation
of the earth, the current moves
eastward.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
WORLD OCEAN CURRENTS
• EAST AUTRALIAN CURRENT:
• In the South Pacific Ocean, the South
Equatorial Current flows towards the west
and turns southward as the East Australian
Current.
• From Tasmania, it flows as the cold South
Pacific Current from west to east and crosses
the Pacific Ocean along with the West Wind
Drift.
• On reaching the south-western coast of
South America, it turns northward and flows
as the cold Peru Current or Humbolt Current.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
GEOSTROPHIC FLOWS
• Currents may also be caused by density
differences in water masses due to
temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline)
variations via a process known as
thermohaline circulation. These currents
move water masses through the deep
ocean, taking nutrients, oxygen, and heat
with them.
• Thermohaline circulation transports and
mixes the water of the oceans.
• The density of seawater is determined by
the temperature and salinity of a volume of
seawater at a particular location.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
GEOSTROPHIC FLOWS
• As water travels in a circular motion in the large currents that comprise gyres,
Coriolis effects and Ekman transport direct water to the center of the gyre.
• To a large extent, horizontal movement of ocean surface waters mirrors the
long-term average planetary circulation of the atmosphere.
• Three surface wind belts encircle each hemisphere:
• 1) trade winds (equator to 30 degrees latitude),
• 2) westerlies (30 to 60 degrees), and
• 3) polar easterlies (60 to 90 degrees).

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
GEOSTROPHIC FLOWS

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
GEOSTROPHIC FLOWS
• Gyres:
• Ocean surface currents tend to form ring-like
circulation systems called gyres.
• A gyre is a circular ocean current formed by a
combination of the prevailing winds, the rotation
of the Earth, and landmasses.
• Continents interfere with the movement of both
surface winds and currents.
• There are five major ocean-wide gyres—the
North Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Pacific,
South Pacific, and Indian Ocean gyres.
• Each is flanked by a strong and narrow “western
boundary current,” and a weak and broad
“eastern boundary current”

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
GEOSTROPHIC FLOWS
• The westerlies of middle latitudes and the trade winds of the tropics
drive the most prominent features of ocean surface motion, large-scale
roughly circular current systems elongated in the east-west direction
known as gyres.
• Subtropical gyres are centered near 30 degrees latitude in the North
and South Atlantic, the North and South Pacific, and the Indian Ocean.
• Gyres in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are similar except
that they rotate in opposite directions because the Coriolis effect acts in
opposite directions in the two hemispheres.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
GEOSTROPHIC FLOWS

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
GEOSTROPHIC FLOWS
• Ekman transport causes surface waters to move toward the
central region of a subtropical gyre from all sides, producing a
broad mound of water. Surface water begins flowing downhill.
• A balance develops between the Coriolis force and the force
arising from the horizontal water pressure gradient such that
surface currents flow parallel to the contours of elevation of
sea level. This current is known as geostrophic flow.
• Geostrophic currents, are the surface currents caused by the
variability of sea surface elevation.
• Due to the difference in surface elevation there is a horizontal
pressure gradient and subsequently a current (water flow)
from areas with higher elevation to areas with lower elevation.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
THE MOVEMENT OF OCEAN WATER IS UNDER THE
INFLUENCE OF PREVAILING WINDS
• They are caused by the Coriolis force.
• Drift – When the ocean water moves forward under the influence of prevailing
wind, it is called a drift. The term drift is also used to refer to the speed of an ocean
current.
• It is measured in terms of knots (kn). Most currents have speeds less than or equal
to 5 knots (1knot =1.852 km per hour).
• Stream – Streams are larger masses of water moving in a definite direction and
have much greater velocity than the drifts.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
GRADIENT CURRENTS RESULTING FROM THE INDIRECT
EFFECT OF WIND CAUSING A PILING UP OF WATER ON
WINDWARD COASTS, AS IN THE CASE OF THE EQUATORIAL
COUNTER CURRENTS
• Gradient current:
• Is the current which is defined by assuming that the horizontal pressure gradient in the
sea is balanced by the sum of the Coriolis and bottom frictional forces.
• At some distance from the bottom the effect of friction becomes negligible and above this
the gradient and geostrophic currents are equivalent which is also known as slope
current.
• These are currents originating in oceans and seas as a result of differences in water
column pressure. These differences in pressure are caused by the driving force of winds
on the water, the unequal distribution of the waters density in a basin or the atmospheric
pressure above it and the influx of continental waters or waters from other soruces, and
so forth.
• Under the action of the Coriolis force, gradient currents are deflected from the direction of
the pressure gradient to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the
southern hemisphere.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
MONSOONS
• A monsoon is a seasonal change in the direction of the prevailing, or strongest, winds of a
region South and Southeast Asia, blowing from the southwest between May and
September and bringing rain (the wet monsoon ), or from the northeast between October
and April (the dry monsoon ).
• A monsoon is a shift in winds that often causes a very rainy season or a very dry seasons
throughout much of the tropics.
• The winds shift because the temperature of the land and the temperature of the water are
different as seasons change.
• Monsoons are most often associated with the Indian Ocean.
• Monsoons always blow from cold to warm regions.
• The summer monsoon and the winter monsoon determine the climate for most of India
and Southeast Asia.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
GLOBAL CIRCULATION
PATTERNS
• The global circulation can be described as
the world-wide system of winds by which the
necessary transport of heat from tropical to
polar latitudes is accomplished.
• In each hemisphere there are three cells
(Hadley cell, Ferrel cell and Polar cell) in
which air circulates through the entire depth
of the troposphere.
• The troposphere is the name given to the
vertical extent of the atmosphere from the
surface, right up to between 10 and 15 km
high.
• It is the part of the atmosphere where most of
the weather takes place.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
GLOBAL CIRCULATION
PATTERNS
• Hadley cell
• The largest cells extend from the equator to
between 30 and 40 degrees north and south,
and are named Hadley cells, after English
meteorologist George Hadley.
• Within the Hadley cells, the trade winds blow
towards the equator, then ascend near the
equator as a broken line of thunderstorms,
which forms the Inter-Tropical-Convergence
Zone (ITCZ).
• From the tops of these storms, the air flows
towards higher latitudes, where it sinks to
produce high-pressure regions over the
subtropical oceans and the world's hot
deserts, such as the Sahara desert in North
Africa.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
GLOBAL CIRCULATION
PATTERNS
• Ferrel cell
• In the middle cells, which are known as the
Ferrel cells, air converges at low altitudes to
ascend along the boundaries between cool
polar air and the warm subtropical air that
generally occurs between 60 and 70 degrees
north and south.
• This often occurs around the latitude of the
UK which gives us our unsettled weather.
• The circulation within the Ferrel cell is
complicated by a return flow of air at high
altitudes towards the tropics, where it joins
sinking air from the Hadley cell.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
GLOBAL CIRCULATION
PATTERNS
• The Ferrel cell moves in the opposite
direction to the two other cells (Hadley cell
and Polar cell) and acts rather like a gear.
• In this cell the surface wind would flow from a
southerly direction in the northern
hemisphere. However, the spin of the Earth
induces an apparent motion to the right in the
northern hemisphere and left in the southern
hemisphere.
• This deflection is caused by the Coriolis effect
and leads to the prevailing westerly and
south-westerly winds often experienced over
the UK.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
GLOBAL CIRCULATION
PATTERNS
• Polar cell
• The smallest and weakest cells are the
Polar cells, which extend from between 60
and 70 degrees north and south, to the
poles.
• Air in these cells sinks over the highest
latitudes and flows out towards the lower
latitudes at the surface.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
SURFACE WATER CIRCULATION
PATTERNS
• The water cycle shows the continuous
movement of water within the Earth and
atmosphere. It is a complex system that
includes many different processes.
• Liquid water evaporates into water
vapor, condenses to form clouds, and
precipitates back to earth in the form of
rain and snow.
• Precipitation, evaporation, freezing and
melting and condensation are all part of
the hydrological cycle - a never-ending
global process of water circulation from
clouds to land, to the ocean, and back to
the clouds.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
MONSOONS
• Summer Monsoon
• The summer monsoon is associated with heavy rainfall. It usually happens between April
and September.
• As winter ends, warm, moist air from the southwest Indian Ocean blows toward countries
like India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
• The summer monsoon brings a humid climate and torrential rainfall to these areas.
• Winter Monsoon
• The Indian Oceans winter monsoon, which lasts from October to April, is less well-known
than its rainy summer equivalent.
• The dry winter monsoon blows from the northeast.
• These winds start in the air above Mongolia and northwestern China.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
MONSOONS

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
MONSOONS CAUSES RAIN
• The monsoons that cause heaviest rainfall are summer monsoons near the
Indian Ocean.
• Warm water in the ocean evaporates, rising into the air. This causes the
wind to change direction and moisture blows toward the land in countries
such as India and Sri Lanka. The warm, moist air then condenses and
becomes rain.
• The result is a period of humidity and heavy rainfall that can last for
months.
• When the wind changes direction in the winter, it is called a winter
monsoon.
• Winter monsoons in these regions near the Indian Ocean are usually dry.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
PHILIPPINE MONSOONS
• There are two seasons in the country, the wet season and the dry season, based
upon the amount of rainfall.
• This is also dependent on location in the country as some areas experience rain
all throughout the year (see Climate types).
• Based on temperature, the warmest months of the year are March through
October; the winter monsoon brings cooler air from November to February. May
is the warmest month, and January, the coolest.
• Northeast Monsoon (AMIHAN)
• Cold winds from the northeast that bring rains over the eastern side of the
country.
• Southwest Monsoon (HABAGAT)
• Warm moist winds from the southwest causing rains over the western portion of
the country from May to September.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
PILOT CHARTS / WEATHER ROUTEING
CHARTS

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
PILOT CHARTS / WEATHER ROUTEING
CHARTS

• Pilot Charts:
• As an aid to the navigator, it provides an additional tool for voyage planning by
allowing a route to be selected that is favorable as to winds, weather, and ocean
conditions.
• Pilot Charts depict in some detail the prevailing weather patterns including: wind
directions and speeds, wave heights, ocean currents, visibility, barometric
pressures, sea surface temperatures, percentage possibilities for winds of Force 8
or greater, and ice limits to be found in the areas covered for each month of the
year.

INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &


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OCEANOGRAPHY 2
END OF LESSON
GOODLUCK
GOD BLESS
INSTRUCTOR: 2/M EDILBERT B.BRIONES, MME METEOROLOGY &
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OCEANOGRAPHY 2

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