Weather “U” Lesson 23: Basic Oceanography

First, we identify the major bodies of water around the United States that impact our weather patterns. In area #1 we have the Pacific Ocean, it has a very large impact on the weather along the coast. For example because the ocean water is cold near the coast it keeps coastal regions cooler in the summer and also keeps them from getting to cold in the winter. A good rule of thumb for forecasting here is you need to watch the marine fog that forms almost everyday here. Area #2 The Gulf of Mexico this is a warm body of water all year round and can have a major impact on the weather patterns along the Gulf from afternoon T-storms in the summer to fog in the fall and also it is breeding grounds to support very storng Tropical features such as Hurricane Katrina. Area #3 is the Atlantic Ocean and here we have a warm current that runs from Florida up to around North Carolina and then interacts with a cold current that comes down from Maine. This region is home to what we call super storms. These Low pressure areas come up the coast and explode right of the coast of Cape Hatteras. Also the Gulf Stream plays an important role in the movement of Nor’Easters and Hurricanes alike.

Here is more detail about the ocean currents and how they impact the local area weather.

Now we analize what is called Coastal Upwelling and Coastal Sinking. These are major parts of weather patterns also. These two features control how the ocean water cycles. On the West Coast of the United States Cold water from deep below is brought up and sent westward across the Pacific. On the East Coast we have coastal upwelling and this is the process of bringing warm water from the Eastern Atlantic right over to the United States. Now you see why we don’t have very many Hurricanes in CA while the US East Coast gets smashed a lot more and also the Gulf of Mexico, these waters set the tone.

Now let’s take a look at the make up of the ocean. As you can see location #1 is the Coast this is where all the waves make a splash and also rip currents can occur here if the condtions are right. #2 is a Guyot and this is a underwater mound of land that has risen off the ocean floor. #3 is our trench this is the deepest places on the face of the earth. #4 is our islands which are surronded by water.

Now lets identify features on the ocean. As you look at the image above you can see what each feature is and how it works.

Here are the review questions for this chapter

Enjoy the weather