Climatic zones of the oceans. Pacific Ocean. Climate and properties of water masses Climatic zones of the Atlantic Ocean

Everyone knows that water occupies more than half of the globe. The largest ocean in the world in terms of area and depth is the Pacific Ocean. It extends from North and South America to the continent of Eurasia, in the south it washes Antarctica. Therefore, the factors affecting the climate of the Pacific Ocean are very diverse.

The influence of the Earth's climatic zones on the climate of the Pacific Ocean

Since the water basin of the Pacific Ocean is huge, it affects all the climatic zones of the Earth. For example:

• tropical;
• subequatorial;
• equatorial;
• subarctic;
• moderate;
• subtropical;
• subantarctic.

Climatic zones, due to the influence of the continents and solar radiation, conditionally divide the ocean into zones with different atmospheric pressure. For example, at the equator there is an area of ​​low pressure. Further to the south and north side it is replaced by an area of ​​high pressure. As a result, there is an alternation of areas and under this influence of the atmosphere, winds (trade winds) and currents in the ocean arise.

The influence of winds and precipitation on climate

Air masses, passing over the surface of the ocean, are saturated with moisture. It is interesting to note that the amount of precipitation that falls in the coastal zones of the Pacific Ocean also varies depending on the distance from the equator.

Consider the principle of the occurrence of storms. Due to the difference in pressure at the boundaries of climatic zones, as well as under the influence of the Asian continent, from which dry and cold air blows, strong hurricanes and typhoons form in the southern hemisphere of the Earth. Sometimes they are destructive. Not only the economies of the Asia-Pacific countries are suffering, but there may also be human casualties. Strong hurricanes are assigned names, for example:

• Dolphin (formed in May 2015);
• Muifa (April 2017);
• Talim (September 2017);
• Hanun (October 2017);
• Damri (November 2017).

In the Pacific Ocean, 30 to 80 typhoons form each year. The most dangerous months, when the number of hurricanes is maximum, are from June to October.

Mankind has not yet learned how to stop the destructive power of typhoons, but their timely detection, with the help of meteorological satellites, makes it possible to avoid numerous victims, as people have time to leave the danger zone.

Physical geography of continents and oceans

OCEANS

PACIFIC OCEAN

Climate and hydrological conditions of the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean extends between 60° north and south latitude. In the north, it is almost closed by the land of Eurasia and North America, separated from each other only by the shallow Bering Strait with the smallest width of 86 km, connecting the Bering Sea of ​​the Pacific Ocean with the Chukchi Sea, which is part of the Arctic Ocean.

Eurasia and North America extend south as far as the Tropic of the North in the form of vast massive landmasses, which are the centers of the formation of continental air, capable of influencing the climate and hydrological conditions of neighboring parts of the ocean. South of the Tropic of the North, the land acquires a fragmentary character; to the coast of Antarctica, its large land areas are only Australia in the southwest of the ocean and South America in the east, especially its extended part between the equator and 20 ° S. latitude. South of 40°S The Pacific Ocean, together with the Indian and Atlantic, merge into a single water surface, not interrupted by large areas of land, over which oceanic air of temperate latitudes is formed, and where Antarctic air masses freely penetrate.

The Pacific reaches greatest width(almost 20 thousand km) within the tropical equatorial space, i.e. in that part of it, where during the year the thermal energy of the sun is most intensively and regularly supplied. In this regard, the Pacific Ocean receives more solar heat during the year than other parts of the World Ocean. And since the distribution of heat in the atmosphere and on the water surface depends not only on the direct distribution of solar radiation, but also on air exchange between land and water surface and water exchange between different parts of the World Ocean, it is quite clear that the thermal equator over the Pacific Ocean is shifted to the north. hemisphere and runs approximately between 5 and 10 ° N, and the northern part of the Pacific Ocean is generally warmer than the southern.

Consider the main pressure systems, which determine the meteorological conditions (wind activity, precipitation, air temperature), as well as the hydrological regime of surface waters (systems of currents, temperature of surface and subsurface waters, salinity) of the Pacific Ocean during the year. First of all, this is the near-equatorial depression (calm zone), somewhat extended towards the northern hemisphere. This is especially pronounced in the summer of the northern hemisphere, when an extensive and deep baric depression with a center in the Indus River basin is established over the strongly heated Eurasia. In the direction of this depression, streams of humid unstable air rush from the subtropical high-pressure centers of both the northern and southern hemispheres. Most of the northern half of the Pacific Ocean at this time is occupied by the North Pacific High, along the southern and eastern periphery of which monsoons blow towards Eurasia. They are associated with heavy rainfall, the amount of which increases towards the south. The second monsoon flow moves from the southern hemisphere, from the side of the tropical high pressure zone. In the northwest, there is a weakened western transfer towards North America.

In the southern hemisphere, where it is winter at this time, strong westerly winds, carrying air from temperate latitudes, cover the waters of all three oceans south of the 40°S parallel. almost to the coast of Antarctica, where they are replaced by east and southeast winds blowing from the mainland. The western transfer operates in these latitudes of the southern hemisphere and in the summer, but with less force. Winter conditions in these latitudes are characterized by heavy precipitation, storm winds, and high waves. With a large number of icebergs and floating sea ice, travel in this part of the oceans is fraught with great dangers. It is not for nothing that navigators have long called these latitudes the “roaring forties”.

At the corresponding latitudes in the northern hemisphere, the western transport is also the dominant atmospheric process, but due to the fact that this part of the Pacific Ocean is closed by land from the north, west and east, in winter there is a slightly different meteorological situation than in the southern hemisphere. With the western transport, cold and dry continental air enters the ocean from the side of Eurasia. It is involved in the closed system of the Aleutian Low, which is formed over the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, is transformed and carried to the coast of North America by southwestern winds, leaving abundant precipitation in the coastal zone and on the slopes of the Cordilleras of Alaska and Canada.

Wind systems, water exchange, features of the topography of the ocean floor, the position of the continents and the outlines of their coasts affect the formation of the surface currents of the ocean, and they, in turn, determine many features of the hydrological regime. In the Pacific Ocean, with its vast dimensions, within the intratropical space, there is a powerful system of currents generated by the trade winds of the northern and southern hemispheres. In accordance with the direction of movement of the trade winds along the margins of the North Pacific and South Pacific Ocean maxima facing the equator, these currents move from east to west, reaching a width of more than 2000 km. The North Trade Wind flows from the shores of Central America to the Philippine Islands, where it divides into two branches. The southern one partially spreads over the interisland seas and partially feeds the surface inter-trade countercurrent that runs along the equator and to the north of it, advancing towards the Central American isthmus. The northern, more powerful branch of the North Trade Wind Current goes to the island of Taiwan, and then enters the East China Sea, skirting the Japanese islands from the east, gives rise to a powerful system of warm currents in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean: this is the Kuroshio Current, or the Japanese Current, moving at a speed of 25 to 80 cm/s. Near the island of Kyushu, Kuroshio forks, and one of the branches enters the Sea of ​​Japan under the name of the Tsushima Current, the other goes out into the ocean and follows the eastern coast of Japan, until at 40 ° N. latitude. it is not pushed to the east by the cold Kuril-Kamchatka countercurrent, or Oyashio. The continuation of Kuroshio to the east is called the Kuroshio Drift, and then the North Pacific Current, which is directed to the coast of North America at a speed of 25-50 cm / s. In the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean, north of the 40th parallel, the North Pacific Current branches into the warm Alaska Current, heading towards the shores of South Alaska, and the cold California Current. The latter, following along the shores of the mainland, flows south of the tropic into the North Equatorial Current, closing the northern circulation of the Pacific Ocean.

Most of the Pacific Ocean north of the equator is dominated by high surface water temperatures. This is facilitated by the large width of the ocean in the intertropical space, as well as the system of currents that carry the warm waters of the Northern Equatorial Current to the north along the coasts of Eurasia and its neighboring islands.

North Equatorial Current all year round carries water with a temperature of 25 ... 29 ° C. The high temperature of surface waters (up to approximately 700 m depth) persists within Kuroshio to almost 40°N. (27 ... 28 °С in August and up to 20 °С in February), as well as within the North Pacific Current (18 ... 23 °С in August and 7 ... 16 °С in February). A significant cooling effect on the northeast of Eurasia up to the north of the Japanese islands is exerted by the cold Kamchatka-Kuril Current, which originates in the Bering Sea, which in winter is intensified by cold waters coming from the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. From year to year, its power varies greatly depending on the severity of winters in the Bering and Okhotsk Seas. The region of the Kuril Islands and the islands of Hokkaido is one of the few in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean where ice occurs in winter. At 40° N when meeting with the Kuroshio current, the Kuril current plunges to a depth and flows into the North Pacific. In general, the temperature of the waters of the northern part of the Pacific Ocean is higher than in the southern part at the same latitudes (5 ... 8 ° C in August in the Bering Strait). This is partly due to limited water exchange with the Arctic Ocean due to the threshold at the Bering Strait.

South Equatorial Current moves along the equator from the shores of South America to the west and even enters the northern hemisphere up to about 5 ° north latitude. In the area of ​​the Moluccas, it branches: the bulk of the water, together with the North Equatorial Current, enters the system of the Intertrade Countercurrent, and the other branch penetrates into the Coral Sea and, moving along the coast of Australia, forms a warm East Australian current, which flows into the current off the coast of Tasmania. Western winds. The temperature of surface waters in the South Equatorial Current is 22...28 °C, in the East Australian in winter from north to south it varies from 20 to 11 °C, in summer - from 26 to 15 °C.

Circumpolar Antarctic or West Wind Current, enters the Pacific Ocean south of Australia and New Zealand and moves in a sublatitudinal direction to the shores of South America, where its main branch deviates to the north and, passing along the coasts of Chile and Peru under the name of the Peruvian Current, turns west, merging into the South Trade Wind , and closes the South Pacific Gyre. The Peruvian current carries relatively cold waters and reduces the air temperature over the ocean and off the western coasts of South America almost to the equator to 15...20 °C.

In distribution salinity surface waters in the Pacific Ocean, there are certain patterns. At an average salinity for the ocean of 34.5-34.6% o, the maximum indicators (35.5 and 36.5% c) are observed in zones of intense trade wind circulation in the northern and southern hemispheres (respectively between 20 and 30 ° N and 10 and 20°S) This is due to a decrease in precipitation and an increase in evaporation compared with equatorial regions. Up to the fortieth latitudes of both hemispheres in the open part of the ocean, salinity is 34-35% o. The lowest salinity is in high latitudes and in the coastal regions of the northern part of the ocean (32-33% o). There it is associated with the melting of sea ice and icebergs and the desalination effect of river runoff, so there are significant seasonal fluctuations in salinity.

The size and configuration of the greatest of the Earth's oceans, the features of its connections with other parts of the World Ocean, as well as the size and configuration of the surrounding land areas and the associated directions of circulation processes in the atmosphere created a number of features Pacific Ocean: the average annual and seasonal temperatures of its surface waters are higher than in other oceans; the part of the ocean located in the northern hemisphere is generally much warmer than the southern, but in both hemispheres the western part is warmer and receives more precipitation than the eastern part.

The Pacific Ocean, to a greater extent than other parts of the World Ocean, is the scene of the birth of an atmospheric process known as tropical cyclones or hurricanes. These are vortices of small diameter (no more than 300-400 km) and high speed (30-50 km/h). They form within the tropical convergence zone of the trade winds, as a rule, during the summer and autumn of the northern hemisphere and move first in accordance with the direction of the prevailing winds, from west to east, and then along the continents to the north and south. For the formation and development of hurricanes, a vast expanse of water is required, heated from the surface to at least 26 ° C, and atmospheric energy, which would impart translational motion to the formed atmospheric cyclone. The features of the Pacific Ocean (its size, in particular, the width within the intratropical space, and the maximum surface water temperatures for the World Ocean) create conditions over its water area that contribute to the origin and development of tropical cyclones.

The passage of tropical cyclones is accompanied by catastrophic events: destructive winds, heavy seas on the high seas, heavy rainfall, flooding of the plains on adjacent land, floods and destruction, leading to severe disasters and loss of life. Moving along the coasts of the continents, the most powerful hurricanes go beyond the intratropical space, transforming into extratropical cyclones, sometimes reaching great strength.

The main area of ​​origin of tropical cyclones in the Pacific Ocean is south of the Tropic of the North, east of the Philippine Islands. Moving initially to the west and northwest, they reach the shores of Southeast China (in Asian countries, these eddies bear the Chinese name "typhoon") and move along the continent, deviating towards the Japanese and Kuril Islands.

The branches of these hurricanes, deviating to the west south of the tropic, penetrate into the interisland seas of the Sunda archipelago, into the northern part of the Indian Ocean and cause destruction in the lowlands of Indochina and Bengal. Hurricanes originating in the southern hemisphere north of the Southern Tropic move towards the coasts of Northwest Australia. There they carry the local name "BILLY-BILLY". Another center of origin of tropical hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean is located off the western coast of Central America, between the Tropic of the North and the equator. From there, hurricanes rush to the coastal islands and coasts of California.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest body of water in the world. It stretches from the very north of the planet to its south, reaching the shores of Antarctica. It reaches its greatest width at the equator, in the tropical and subtropical zones. Therefore, the climate of the Pacific Ocean is more defined as warm, because most of it falls on the tropics. This ocean has both warm and cold currents. It depends on which continent the bay adjoins in one place or another and what atmospheric flows are formed above it.

Video: 213 Climate of the Pacific

atmospheric circulation

In many ways, the climate of the Pacific Ocean depends on the atmospheric pressure that forms over it. In this section, geographers distinguish five main areas. Among them there are zones of both high and low pressure. In the subtropics in both hemispheres of the planet, two areas of high pressure are formed above the ocean. They are called the North Pacific or Hawaiian High and the South Pacific High. The closer to the equator, the lower the pressure becomes. Also note that in the atmospheric dynamics is lower than in the east. In the north and south of the ocean, dynamic lows are formed - the Aleutian and Antarctic, respectively. The northern one exists only in the winter season, while the southern one is stable all year round in terms of its atmospheric features.

Winds

Such a factor as the trade winds largely affects the climate of the Pacific Ocean. In short, such wind currents are formed in the tropics and subtropics in both hemispheres. A system of trade winds has been established there for centuries, which cause warm currents and a stable hot air temperature. They are separated by a strip of equatorial calm. Calms prevail in this area, but light winds occasionally occur. In the northwestern part of the ocean, monsoons are the most frequent guests. In winter, the wind blows from the Asian continent, bringing cold and dry air with it. In summer, the ocean wind blows, which increases the humidity and temperature of the air. The temperate climate zone, as well as the entire southern hemisphere, is subject to strong winds starting from. The climate of the Pacific Ocean in these areas is characterized by typhoons, hurricanes, and gusty winds.

Air temperature

In order to visually understand what temperatures the Pacific Ocean is characterized by, the map will come to our aid. We see that this reservoir is located in all climatic zones, starting from the northern, icy, passing through the equator and ending with the southern, also icy. Above the surface of the entire reservoir, the climate is subject to latitudinal zonality and winds, which bring hot or cold temperatures to certain regions. In equatorial latitudes, the thermometer shows from 20 to 28 degrees in August, approximately the same indicators are observed in February. In temperate latitudes, February temperatures reach -25 Celsius, and in August the thermometer rises to +20.

Video: Pacific Ocean

Characteristics of currents, their influence on temperature

The peculiarities of the climate of the Pacific Ocean are that in the same latitudes at the same time different weather can be observed. Everything works out this way because the ocean consists of various currents that bring warm or cold cyclones here from the continents. So let's start with the Northern Hemisphere. In the tropical zone, the western part of the reservoir is always warmer than the eastern one. This is due to the fact that in the west the waters are warmed by the trade winds and the East Australian. In the east, the waters are cooled by the Peruvian and California currents. In the temperate zone, on the contrary, the east is warmer than the west. Here the western part is cooled by the Kuril current, and the eastern part is heated by the Alaska current. If we consider the Southern Hemisphere, then we will not find a significant difference between the West and the East. Everything happens naturally here, since the trade winds and winds of high latitudes distribute the temperature over the surface of the water in the same way.

Clouds and pressure

Also, the climate of the Pacific Ocean depends on the atmospheric phenomena that form over one or another of its areas. An increase in air currents is observed in low pressure zones, as well as in coastal areas where there is a mountainous area. The closer to the equator, the less clouds gather over the waters. In temperate latitudes, they are contained in 80-70 percent, in the subtropics - 60-70%, in the tropics - 40-50%, and at the equator only 10 percent.

Precipitation

Now consider what weather conditions the Pacific Ocean is fraught with. A map of climatic zones shows that the highest humidity here falls on the tropical and subtropical zones, which are located north of the equator. Here the amount of precipitation is equal to 3000 mm. In temperate latitudes, this figure is reduced to 1000-2000 mm. Also note that in the West the climate is always drier than in the East. The most arid region of the ocean is the coastal zone near and off the coast of Peru. Here, due to problems with condensation, the amount of precipitation is reduced to 300-200 mm. In some areas it is extremely low and is only 30 mm.

Video: 211 History of Pacific Exploration

The climate of the Pacific Ocean

In the classical version, it is customary to believe that this water reservoir has three seas - the Sea of ​​Japan, the Bering Sea and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. These reservoirs are separated from the main reservoir by islands or peninsulas, they are adjacent to the continents and belong to countries, in this case Russia. Their climate is determined by the interaction of ocean and land. Above the water surface in February is about 15-20 below zero, in the coastal zone - 4 below zero. The Sea of ​​​​Japan is the warmest, because the temperature in it is kept within +5 degrees. The most severe winters are in the north. Here the thermometer can show below -30 degrees. In summer, the seas heat up to an average of 16-20 above zero. Naturally, the Okhotsk in this case will be cold - +13-16, and the Japanese one can warm up to +30 or more.

Video: Pacific Ocean nature pacific ocean USA

Conclusion

The Pacific Ocean, which is, in fact, the largest geographical feature on the planet, is characterized by a very diverse climate. Regardless of the season, a certain atmospheric influence is formed over its waters, which generates low or high temperatures, strong winds or complete calm.

Climatic conditions over the territory of the Pacific Ocean are due to its location in all climatic zones, except for the polar ones. Most precipitation falls around the equator - up to 2000 mm. Due to the fact that the Pacific Ocean is protected by land from the influence of the Arctic Ocean, its northern part is warmer than the southern.

The Pacific Ocean, despite its name, is the most restless on the planet. Trade winds dominate in its central part, and monsoonal circulation, known for its destructive tropical hurricanes, dominates in the western part. typhoons. dominated in temperate latitudes Western carry- the movement of air masses in a westerly direction. There are frequent storms in the north and south.

Pacific typhoons are a natural phenomenon that causes significant damage and loss of life. They hit the Japanese every year. Philippine Islands, East Coast of China and Vietnam. The diameter of the typhoon ranges from 200 to 1800 km. and in its center there is often calm and even clear weather. On the periphery of the typhoon, heavy rains fall, hurricane winds blow, and storm waves reach a height of 10-12 m. One of the peculiar features of the Pacific Ocean is giant waves - tsunami, resulting from underwater volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. These waves, unlike wind waves, cover the entire water column. Moving at great speed (over 1000 km/h), they remain almost invisible, since they have a height of only 0.5-1.0 m, but in shallow water it increases to tens of meters.

To prevent danger, the International Tsunami Warning Service was created. Seismic stations determine the time and place of an earthquake, assess the possibility of a tsunami and, in case of danger, notify of the approach of a wave.

The significant length of the ocean from north to south causes changes in the average annual water temperatures on the surface from -1 to +30 °С. Due to the significant amount of precipitation that exceeds the amount of evaporating water, the salinity of surface waters in it is somewhat lower than in other oceans.

Large fogs are observed in the northeastern part of the ocean, moving towards the mainland in the form of huge white waves. The real "country of fogs" is called the Bering Sea.

There is almost no floating ice in the North Pacific, as the narrow Bering Strait limits the connection to the Arctic Ocean, where it forms. Only the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Bering Sea are covered with ice in winter.

Currents in the Pacific Ocean correspond to the general pattern of their formation in the World Ocean (Fig. 15). Due to the fact that the ocean is very elongated from west to east, it is dominated by significant latitudinal water movements. material from the site

The most restless is the ocean between 40-50 ° S. latitude: here the wave height sometimes reaches 15-20 m. In the Pacific Ocean, the highest wind waves were recorded - up to 34 m.

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The Pacific Ocean is located in almost all climatic zones. Most of it lies in the equatorial, subequatorial and tropical zones.

The climate of the Pacific Ocean is formed due to the zonal distribution of solar radiation and atmospheric circulation, as well as the powerful seasonal influence of the Asian continent. Almost all climatic zones can be distinguished in the ocean. In the northern temperate zone in winter, the baric center is the Aleutian minimum of pressure, which is weakly expressed in summer. To the south is the North Pacific High. Along the equator, the Equatorial depression (an area of ​​low pressure) is noted, which is replaced to the south by the South Pacific anticyclone. Further south, the pressure decreases again and then again gives way to a high pressure area over Antarctica. The direction of the wind is formed in accordance with the location of baric centers. In the temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere, strong westerly winds prevail in winter, and weak southerly winds in summer. In the northwest of the ocean, north and northeast monsoon winds are established in winter, which are replaced by south monsoons in summer. Cyclones that occur on the polar fronts determine the high frequency of storm winds in the temperate and circumpolar zones (especially in the southern hemisphere). In the subtropics and tropics of the northern hemisphere, the northeast trade winds dominate. In the equatorial zone, mostly calm weather is observed all year round. In the tropical and subtropical zones of the southern hemisphere, a steady southeast trade wind dominates, strong in winter and weak in summer. Violent tropical hurricanes, here called typhoons, are born in the tropics (mainly in summer). They usually arise east of the Philippines, from where they move northwest and north through Taiwan, Japan and fade on the approaches to the Bering Sea. Another area where typhoons originate is the coastal regions of the Pacific Ocean adjacent to Central America. In the fortieth latitudes of the southern hemisphere, strong and constant westerly winds are observed. In the high latitudes of the southern hemisphere, the winds are subject to the general cyclonic circulation characteristic of the sub-Antarctic region of low pressure.

The distribution of air temperature over the ocean is subordinated to the general latitudinal zonality, but the western part has a warmer climate than the eastern part. In the tropical and equatorial zones, average air temperatures from 27.5 °C to 25.5 °C prevail. During the summer, the 25°C isotherm widens northward in the western part of the ocean and only slightly in the eastern, and strongly shifts northward in the southern hemisphere. Passing over the vast expanses of the ocean, the air masses are intensely saturated with moisture. On both sides of the equator in the near-equatorial zone, two narrow bands of maximum precipitation are noted, outlined by an isohyet of 2000 mm, and a relatively arid zone is expressed along the equator. In the Pacific Ocean, there is no zone of convergence of the northern trade winds with the southern ones. There are two independent zones with excessive moisture and a relatively dry zone separating them. To the east, in the equatorial and tropical zones, the amount of precipitation decreases. The most arid regions in the northern hemisphere are adjacent to California, in the southern - to the Peruvian and Chilean basins (coastal regions receive less than 50 mm of precipitation per year).