What affects the atmospheric and ocean flows? Thisfree course, Environment: understanding atmospheric and ocean flows, explores the mechanisms that areimportant; the most rapid carrier is the wind. The basic principle of globalatmospheric circulation is simple: warm air rises and cold air sinks. How doesthis principle affect the atmosphere and flow of water in practical terms? Startingwith an iconic environmental icon, the polar bear, you will learn how globalflows of water, heat and pollution are affecting the Arctic region and changingour world.
Overview
Syllabus
- Introduction
- Learning outcomes
- 1 An environmental icon
- 1 An environmental icon
- 1.1 Polar bears and pollutants
- 1.2 Pollutants and bioaccumulation
- 1.3 Summary of Section 1
- 2 The atmospheric and ocean flows
- 2 The atmospheric and ocean flows
- 2.1 Albedo
- 2.2 Specific heat capacity
- 2.3 Russian tree trunks in the Arctic
- 2.3.1 Nansen and the voyage of the Fram
- 2.4 Pollutant pathways to the Arctic
- 2.5 Summary of Section 2
- 3 The ice time machine
- 3 The ice time machine
- 3.1 Ice cores and the atmosphere
- 3.1.1 Powers of ten and scientific notation
- 3.1.2 Interpreting a graph
- 3.2 The past temperature of the planet
- 3.3 Proxy data and past climates
- 3.3.1 The central part of an atom
- 3.4 Ice core going back 800Â 000 years
- 3.5 Interglacial periods and sea levels
- 3.6 The Milankovitch model
- 3.7 The Keeling Curve
- 3.8 Ice cores and past CO2 levels
- 3.9 Global CO2 levels and Antarctic temperatures
- 3.9.1 Scientific method
- 3.10 Summary of Section 3
- 4 The end of the last ice age: the Holocene
- 4 The end of the last ice age: the Holocene
- 4.1 Wally Broecker’s great ocean conveyor belt
- 4.2 Stopping the ocean conveyor belt
- 4.3 Carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and human activity
- 4.4 Summary of Section 4
- 5 The contemporary Arctic climate
- 5 The contemporary Arctic climate
- 5.1 Melting ice caps and sea ice extent
- 5.1.1 Gradient of a straight-line graph
- 5.2 Ice-albedo feedback loop
- 5.2.1 Positive and negative feedback
- 5.3 Permafrost
- 5.4 Permafrost and tundra travel days
- 5.5 Methane trapped in ice
- 5.6 The Arctic and our environment
- 5.7 Summary of Section 5
- Conclusion
- References
- Acknowledgements
