Geophysics & Environmental Physics
3 terms
Thermohaline Circulation
Geophysics & Environmental Physics
Sv (Sverdrups = 10⁶ m³/s)
The global deep-ocean density-driven circulation loop powered by surface variations in seawater temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline).
Density ρ = ρ(T, S, P) (Function of Temperature and Salinity)
Tidal Friction
Geophysics & Environmental Physics
ms/century (Length of Day Increase)
The gravitational interaction where ocean tidal bulges drag ahead of the Earth-Moon axis, causing frictional dissipation of Earth's rotational energy.
dΩ/dt < 0 (Earth rotation slowing by ~2.3 ms/century)
Troposphere
Geophysics & Environmental Physics
km (Altitude ~0 to 12 km)
The lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, extending from the surface up to the tropopause (~7 to 18 km), containing ~80% of atmospheric mass and virtually all water vapor.
dT / dz ≈ -6.5 °C/km (Environmental Lapse Rate)