Explain how the albedo of polar ice caps contributes to differential heating. 

In a new tab, navigate to the page  Global Atmospheric Circulation by Emma SmythLinks to an external site.. This page contains text and diagrams, as well as embedded videos that will help explain broad scale atmospheric systems. Several questions below pertain to content in the link. You can scroll down through the content, or click on the 3 dots (…) in the top right corner and choose “Turn Autoplay On” which will scroll automatically.

Question 1

Explain how the albedo of polar ice caps contributes to differential heating.

Question 2

Explain how low pressure creates clouds.

Question 3

What is the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)?

Group of answer choices

The area off the coast of Peru where upwelling ocean currents are found

The area near the equator where Hadley cell winds come together from the north and south

The area around 30 degrees north or south where air falls

The area between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn where the stars can be seen from both hemispheres

In a new tab, navigate to the map, Earth NullschoolLinks to an external site., and click on the word “earth” in the bottom left. Click on the different parameters to set the map as shown below:

Question 4

In 2020, sensationalized news articles such as “Godzilla Saharan Dust Cloud Over US” were published, which seemed to fit with the times.  The real phenomenon is described in journal articles such as this oneLinks to an external site. (reading optional) in Nature. Using evidence that you can see on the wind map, describe how it is possible that dust from the Saharan Desert in Africa could have been blown to the United States.

Change the legend settings on the map to Mode: Ocean, Animate: Currents, Overlay: SSTA (stands for Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly). The word Anomaly means something that deviates from what is normal. Rotate your view to look at the Pacific Ocean, near the Equator.

Question 5

Compare your map results to the diagram below. Does the current SSTA model show a pattern more closely resembling El Nino or La Nina?

*Note – the image below is from NOAA and the colors are not exactly the same – you will have to interpret both the map and the diagram.

Group of answer choices

El Nino

La Nina

The Climate Prediction Center uses worldwide data from temperature, pressure, humidity, and windspeeds to predict the type of weather patterns that are expected in the near future. In a new tab, visit the One Month Outlook Links to an external site.and examine the maps.

Question 6

Using the content of the climate prediction maps, and the wind patterns from Earth Nullschool Map, discuss the relationship between the wind patterns and the current forecast. Your answer should be 2-4 sentences and use vocabulary from the chapter and the maps.

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