Coriolis Effect and Fluid Circulation

• Earth's surface is covered with fluids, air and water, separated by density.
• Dense, cold waters are at the bottom, and thin, light air masses are at the top, meeting space.
• Circulation refers to the movement of air and water, driven by many variables across the planet.

The Coriolis Effect

• Gases and water are forced into motion because the Earth is a spinning ball.
• Air is pulled along as Earth rotates east, but slower than the planet.
• Air seems to move westward along the Equator, changing direction at different latitudes.
• The Coriolis effect is the deflection of air due to Earth's rotation.
• The effect also applies to ocean surface currents, deflecting them along the Equator and creating westward movement.

Rising and Sinking

• Air and water masses rise and sink vertically because of temperature differences.
• Warm fluids rise, and cool fluids sink.
• Vertical and lateral air movement creates cells of circulating air, causing consistent wind patterns.
• Fluid composition affects density.
• Seawater salinity measures the dissolved particles or 'saltiness' of the water.
• Higher salinity means denser water.
• The densest water on Earth is very cold and very salty.
• Thermohaline circulation is a system of currents driven by changes in temperature ('thermo') and salinity ('haline'), causing vertical water movement.
• Evaporation at the Equator leaves saltier water behind, changing the water's density.
• Warm currents moving towards the poles cool off, increasing density and causing currents to sink.
• Latent heat is released as a water mass cools, impacting the climate of nearby land masses.
• Great Britain has a temperate climate due to the warm Gulf Stream current.
• The Gulf Stream runs along the US East Coast, cools in the North Atlantic, and releases latent heat, warming Northwestern Europe..
• Changes in thermohaline circulation have marked extreme and rapid climate changes throughout Earth's history.

Land

• Surface currents would flow consistently without land masses.
• Continents deflect surface currents.
• Atmospheric circulation is influenced by land masses.
• Land reflects heat, while water absorbs it, due to differences in conductivity.
• Air masses rise and sink with temperature changes caused by land or water.
• Glider pilots analyze these changes, riding updrafts over warm land and downdrafts over cool water.

Ocean Circulation and Climate Change

• The Gulf Stream influences the climate of the southeastern United States and western Europe.
• Warm water from the Gulf of Mexico moves to the North Atlantic, cools, sinks, and returns south through the South Atlantic.
• Melting ice sheets add freshwater while the ocean warms, resulting in less dense freshwater that inhibits sinking.
• The Gulf Stream is weakening due to ocean warming from global climate change.
• Scientists believe that the Gulf Stream could collapse completely.
• Collapse of the Gulf Stream would cause sea level rise in cities such as Miami.
• Increase storms and temperatures in Western Europe if the gulf stream collapses.

Circulation of air and water on Earth's surface is influenced by factors like density and temperature. The Coriolis Effect deflects air and ocean currents due to Earth's rotation. Vertical air movement creates circulating air cells, leading to predictable wind patterns.