chapter8 atmosphere- ocean interactions（第8章大气-海洋相互作用）.docVIP

Atmosphere-Ocean Interactions The most costly natural disaster the United States has experienced occurred in August 1992 when Hurricane Andrew hit Florida. Hurricanes (Huracan = the Taino god of the wind) and typhoons (Taifung = Chinese for great wind) are both tropical cyclones; Hurricanes occur in the Atlantic Ocean and typhoons in the Pacific Ocean. To qualify as a hurricane or typhoon the storm must have sustained winds exceeding 64 knots (74 miles per hour). Though the high winds inflict damage when these storms hit land, it is the huge waves; storm surge and associated flooding that cause most of the destruction. These ferocious atmospheric storms cannot survive without the moisture supplied by warm ocean water. They are vivid examples of the coupling between the earths oceans and atmosphere. Ocean currents and variations in oceanic water temperature have been known for many centuries. Benjamin Franklin was the first person to chart the Gulf Stream. He did this in 1769 based on his observations and those of the whalers off the coast of New England. Benjamin Franklin also made some careful observations of the atmosphere and was no doubt aware that interactions existed between the atmosphere and the ocean. This chapter explores the links between the atmosphere and oceans. (Figure copied for Garrison, figure 2.21 - not sure where he got it. Oceanography Oceanography is the study of the oceans. An understanding of weather and climate requires knowledge of oceanography because of the interaction between the atmosphere and the oceans. There are three important roles the oceans play in relation to weather and climate: 1) They are a source of atmospheric water vapor and 2) They exchange energy with the atmosphere and 3) They transfer heat poleward. Each year approximately 396,000 cubic kilometers (94,644 cubic miles) of water vapor circulates through the atmosphere through the hydrological cycle. Most of the water that recycles into the atmosphere comes