Heat transport in the ocean and atmosphere at different latitudes 6 Total heat t

Question

Heat transport in the ocean and atmosphere at different latitudes 6 Total heat transport (ocean+atmo) Ocean heat transport Atmosphere heat transport 4 2 80 60 4020 EO 20 40 60 80 Lotitude Heat transport estimates by Trenberth and Caron (2001). Dashed line: ocean heat transport; Dash-dot: atmospheric heat transport, Solid: total (atmosphere+ ocean) heat transport. Note that positive values of heat transport imply northward heat transport Questions: 1) Notice how the total amount of heat transport changes as you move from the equator to the poles. a) At what latitude in the northern hemisphere is the maximum amount of heat (total) being transported by the climate system, and which direction is it moving? 38

Explanation / Answer

1. a. Maximum heat is being transported towards the 40 degree North latitude towards West direction.

b. Maximum heat is being transported towards 80 degree South latitude towards East direction

2. a. Heat transported by the oceans between 20 and 40 degree North latitudes change from 2 PW to 0.5 PW. Thus, transported heat in the ocean becomes less as we traverse from oceans at lower latitude towards higher latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere.

b. The heat transported by the atmosphere between 20 and 40 degree North latitudes change from 2 PW to 4.5 PW.

c. Total amount of heat change between 20 and 40 degree North latitudes:

Heat change in oceans and atmosphere = 5.5-4.0 PW = 1.5 PW

3. a. Heat is moving out of the oceans between 20 and 40 degree North latitudes. Thus, heat is being lost by the oceans. Heat loss is occurring through evaporation.

b. Overall, heat is moving in the atmosphere, i.e. heat is gained by the atmosphere. This heat is coming from insolation of the sun's rays.

c. Latent heat is occurring in the atmosphere between 20 and 40 degree North latitudes where there is an increase in heat without change in form. Evaporation is occurring in the oceans of the siad latitudes as heat is being lost from the system through evaporation. Radiation from the sun heats the water of the oceans and consequently, evaporation occurs.

4. North of 40 degree latitude in the Northern Hemisphere, heat loss occurs (5.5. PW to 0 PW)

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