Review Questions Oceanography (EPS 3200) Chapter 6 – Professor Mey
1. Sketch a labeled diagram to explain the cause of Earth’s seasons (you can include your sketch in your document)
2. Along the Arctic Circle, how would the Sun appear during the summer solstice? During the winter solstice?
3. If there is a net annual heat loss at high latitudes and a net annual heat gain at low latitudes, why does the temperature difference between these regions not increase?
4. Describe the physical properties of the atmosphere, including its composition, temperature, density, water vapor content, pressure, and movement.
5. Is Earth’s atmosphere heated from above or below? Explain.
6. Describe the Coriolis effect in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and include a discussion of why the strength of the Coriolis effect increases at higher latitudes.
7. Sketch the pattern of surface wind belts on Earth, showing atmospheric circulation cells, zones of high and low pressure, the names of the wind belts, and the names of the boundaries between the wind belts (you can include your sketch in your document).
8. Why are there high-pressure caps at each pole and a low-pressure belt in the equatorial region?
9. Describe the difference between cyclonic and anticyclonic flow, and show how the Coriolis effect is important in producing both a clockwise and a counterclockwise flow pattern.
10. How do sea breezes and land breezes form? During a hot summer day, which one would be most common and why?
11. Name the polar and tropical air masses that affect U.S. weather. Describe the pattern of movement across the continent and patterns of precipitation associated with warm and cold fronts.
12. What are the conditions needed for the formation of a tropical cyclone? Why do most middle latitude areas only rarely experience a hurricane? Why are there no hurricanes at the equator?
13. Describe the types of destruction caused by hurricanes. Of those, which one causes the majority of fatalities and destruction?
14. How are the ocean’s climatic regions (shown in a figure in this chapter) related to the broad patterns of air circulation described in this figure? What are some areas where the two are not closely related?
15. Describe differences between sea ice and icebergs, including how they both form.