Lab 6 (1)
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Inver Hills Community College *
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Dec 6, 2023
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Weather and Climate
Lab 6
Ocean Currents and Wind Patterns
This lab will investigate the general circulation of ocean currents and wind patterns. Please visit the
provided websites to answer the questions. Please take the necessary time to examine and familiarize
yourself with the websites before trying to answer the associated questions. The information on the
imagery is live data being continually updated around the world. Please read and study from the required
textbook the topics of ocean currents and wind patterns before trying to complete this lab. Use your
textbook while working through the lab if necessary.
Please navigate to
meteoblue.com
and take some time to familiarize yourself with this site
before trying to answer any of the questions.
Select the Weather maps on the left panel and navigate to zoom in on the southern portion of
Africa from roughly west to east – southern Angola to Zambia to Mozambique southward to
South Africa. On the right panel select Sea & Surf then Water Surface Temperature.
Please
take time to study and familiarize yourself with the ocean and wind information displayed
throughout this lab before trying to answer the questions.
1.
Please describe the general ocean temperatures on the west and east coast and
provide a general range of temperatures, too. Please click once on each of the
dates below from left to right and describe the ocean temperature patterns
throughout this time period noting changes or not to the overall patterns. Please
keep this website active.
The general range of temperatures through the ocean range from a medium to high
degree of temperature. From the west coast, the general temperatures range from 60-68
degrees. On the east coast, the temperatures range from 76-84 degrees. Throughout the dates
on the bottom of the screen, the patterns through this time seemed pretty consistent, they
seemed to stay near the same temperature all around.
Please navigate to
earth.nullschool.net
and take some time to familiarize yourself with this site
before trying to answer any of the questions.
Navigate to zoom in on the same portion of the southern portion of Africa. Please keep this
website active.
Please select Earth box near the bottom left and for Mode select Ocean, Animate select
Currents and Overlay select SST(sea surface temperatures) moving the cursor over the scale to
see the values displayed on the bottom right of the image. Also, please click on the image to
see values at point locations. The units are changed by clicking on them from the data box in
the middle left of the image. Please use English units when possible to answer the questions. To
collapse the variables data selection box please click on the Earth box near the bottom left.
2.
Please describe the general ocean current patterns on the west and east coast of
this portion of southern Africa.
The general ocean current patterns on the west and east coast of this part of Africa are
pretty different. On the West coast, they are slower and they are heading slowly away from the
coast. On the East side, the currents are moving more rapidly and are swirling away from the
coast.
3.
Please click on several places on each side of the continent and record the speed
of the currents and the ocean temperatures, too.
The general temperature and speed on the west coast are about 56.7 degrees, and are
moving at 0.3 km/h. On the east coast, the currents are about 47.7 degrees, and are moving
about 1.3 km/h.
4.
Please list where the fastest currents are located and list some of the speeds in
mph.
Some of the fastest currents are located on the east coast at 2.3 mph, 2.1 mph, and 1.9
mph.
5.
Which coast has the warmest ocean temperatures and from which direction are
the currents coming from? Which coast has the coolest ocean temperatures and
from which direction are the currents coming from? Which coast do you think
would have the most annual precipitation and why?
The coast with the warmest ocean temps are on the East coast, they are coming from
the North. The coast with the coolest temperature is the East, the currents are coming from the
South. The most annual precipitation would come from the west coast as higher temperatures
means more precipitation.
Please bring up this website:
google.com/earth
and navigate to the same region and take
some time to familiarize yourself with the types of landscapes seen in this region of Africa before
answering the following questions.
6.
Please describe the landscape along the western coast of southern Africa.
Along the western coast, it is mainly some grassy areas along with some desert areas
near the southwest portion.
7.
Now zoom into the region immediately near Luderitz, Namibia and describe the
landscape just to the north.
The landscape near the region of Luderitz, just to the North, is mainly desert and sand.
8.
Please describe the landscape along the eastern coast of southern Africa.
The landscape along the Eastern coast of southern Africa is mainly grassy land.
9.
Now zoom into the region immediately near Beira, Mozambique and describe the
landscape just to the north.
The landscape just to the North of Beira is mainly grassy and has some dirt patches.
Please return to the earth nullschool site and select Mode – Air; Animate – Wind; Height –
Sfc(surface winds); Overlay – Wind.
10. Please describe the winds on the western coast in terms of direction and general
range of speeds, too. Where are the winds predominantly coming from?
The winds on the western coast in terms of direction are heading inland, toward the east
side. Speeds are about 29 mph. The winds are mainly coming from the ocean current.
11. Please describe the winds on the eastern coast in terms of direction and general
range of speeds, too. Where are the winds predominantly coming from?
The winds on the eastern coast are heading west and then turning north. The general
speeds are about 35 mph. The winds are mainly coming from the ocean.
Now for Overlay select TPW(total precipitable water) which is a reliable indication of the amount
of water vapor in the atmosphere. Please take time to run the cursor over the scale to get an
idea of the range of values which are noted to the bottom right of the image.
12. Please describe the TPW on the western coast and list a general range of
amounts, too. Please click on the area immediately near Luderitz, Namibia and
describe the TPW and compare this with values just off the coast, too, listing
some of their values.
On the western coast, there is about 9.306 kg/m2. The area near Luderitz is about 3.692
kg/m2. These are lower than the values off the coast.
13. Please describe the TPW on the eastern coast and list a general range of amounts,
too. Please click on the area immediately near Beira, Mozambique and describe
the TPW and compare this with values just off the coast, too, listing some of their
values.
On the eastern coast, the TPW is about 21.068 kg/m2. The area near Beira is about
17.228 kg/m2. The values on the east coast are smaller than those values on the west coast.
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14. Which coast has lower values? Which surface, land or water, has the highest
values? Which coastal region would you expect populations to be greater and
why?
The coast that has lower levels is the west coast. The place with the highest values is
the east coast. I would expect that the east coast would have greater populations due to there
being more land to live and farm on, and also just higher temperatures, especially in the ocean.
Now for Overlay select CAPE (convective available potential energy from the surface) which is a
reliable indication of the amount of upward energy for the formation of clouds and an increased
probability of precipitation, too.
15. Please describe the CAPE on the western coast and list a general range of
amounts, too. Please click on the area immediately near Luderitz, Namibia and
describe the CAPE and compare this with values just off the coast, too, listing
some of their values.
On the western coast, the CAPE is about 12 J/kg. Near Luderitz it is about 68 J/kg. The
values are much higher on land than on water. On the coast, temperatures range from 0,1, to 20
J/kg.
16. Please describe the CAPE on the eastern coast and list a general range of
amounts, too. Please click on the area immediately near Beira, Mozambique and
describe the CAPE and compare this with values just off the coast, too, listing
some of their values.
On the eastern coast the CAPE is about 15 J/kg. Near Beira it is about 8 J/kg. This is
slightly lower than the eastern coast. Some other values range from 6,7,9, and 13.
Please navigate to meteoblue.com
Select the Weather maps on the left panel and navigate to zoom to the same region of Africa.
On the right panel select Temperature & Humidity then Soil Moisture.
17. Please describe the general soil moisture values near Beira, Mozambique and
Luderitz, Namibia providing a general range of values, too. With each location
having similar soil properties, which location would be raising reliable crops for
food consumption be more probable and why?
The general soil moisture values near Beira is between 12-16, while near Luderitz it is
between 4-8. The location that would be better for raising reliable crops for food consumption
would be Beira as it has much more soil moisture which would ensure good and healthy crops.
On the right panel select Temperature & Humidity and Dew Point Temperature which is a
reliable measure of the available water vapor in the atmosphere with the higher values
indicating higher amounts of water vapor.
18. Please describe the general dew point temperature values near Beira,
Mozambique and Luderitz, Namibia providing a general range of values, too. How
does this weather variable impact the probability of rainfall? Please click once on
each of the dates below from left to right and describe the dewpoint temperature
patterns throughout this time period. At which location is sustainability of
populations more probable and why based upon in part dew point temperature
values?
The general dew point temperature values near Beira are about 71-74 degrees. Near
Luderitz, the general dew point temperature is about 50-53 degrees. This weather variable
impacts the probability of rainfall as it doesnt show if rain is heading that way or not. Throughout
this time period, near Luderitz, by Tuesday the 31st, it should be getting much colder than it is
now. Near Beira, it should stay about the same, if not fluctuating a bit higher and lower. The
location with more sustainability of populations would be Beira as they have better temperatures
to allow crops to grow and a population to maintain life.
19. Where are the lowest and highest dew point values found in this region(move the
cursor over the region to obtain data)? In looking at the varied landscapes across
this region with the aid of google earth, is there a connection between this
weather variable and the type of landscapes?
The lowest and highest dew points are between 71-74. There is a correlation between
the temperatures and the landscape as there is more green land and more people/bodies,
which leads to more heat, and that then leads to higher temperatures.
20. Please describe either the positive or negative correlation between dewpoint
temperature, soil moisture, CAPE, TPW with the type of ocean currents that
dominate on the west coast and the east coast. How do ocean currents and wind
patterns impact where people live in this region of Africa?
Ocean currents and wind patterns impact where people live among this region in Africa
as it is where there is more greenland which means more resources for people to grow crops
and create a future.