Name: Vilamor, Abegail B. Offering No.

: ABen 145

Student ID: 18-1-00985 Mobile No.: 09380040800

Assessment 2.3

1. The one-celled general circulation was postulated on what assumption?

Answer: The one-celled general circulation model that was postulated on 1735 by a British
meteorologist named George Hadley. This circulation is referred to as a non-rotating Earth. With
this model we make the assumption that the earth is entirely covered with water (land and sea
interaction is neglected), there are no seasons and the sun is always facing directly to the equator
(no seasonal wind shifts), and there is no Coriolis force which only allows the concern over the
pressure gradient force.
2. Which law of thermodynamics the general circulation model follows?
Answer: The second law of thermodynamics which states “the total entropy of an isolated
system can never decrease over time, and is constant if and only if all processes are reversible”.
This only means that the concentrated amount of energy from the sun received by the equator
moves to the Poles (South Pole and North Pole) and other areas located in the high latitudes,
where the temperature is lower compared to that of the equator.
3. Defined as significant loss of water in either atmosphere, surface, or ground.
Answer: Drought is defined as the significant loss of water in either atmosphere, surface, or
ground. It is one of the effects brought by the warm phase of ENSO.
4. Tropical cyclone occurs in the west and northwest Pacific.
Answer: The tropical cyclone occur in the West and Northwest pacific is called Typhoon. It is a
mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180̊ and 100̊ E in the northern hemisphere.
5. What are the cells in the three-celled general circulation model?
Answer: The cells in the three-celled general circulation are:
 Hadley Cells. Air rises up into the atmosphere at or near the equator, then flows towards
poles above the surface of the earth, then returns to the earth’s surface in the subtropics,
and flows back towards the equator.
 Ferrel Cells. Air flows poleward and eastward near the surface and equatorward and
westward at higher altitudes. Ferrel cell is the reverse of Hadley cell.
 Polar Cells. The smallest and weakest cell. Air sinks over the highest altitudes and flows
out towards the lower altitudes at the surface.
6. Discuss the phases of ENSO.
Answer: ENSO or El Niño- Southern Oscillation is a periodic fluctuation in sea surface
temperature and the air pressure of the overlying atmosphere across equatorial Pacific Ocean. It
has two phases the warm phase called El Niño and the cold phase called La Niña.
 El Niño (warm phase). Trade winds weaken along equator, making the pool of warm
water in the western pacific to flow back toward the east. It occurs about 2-10 years and
 last from a month to a couple of years. The effects brought by this event can significantly
influence weather patterns, ocean conditions, and marine fisheries across large portions
of globe for an extended period of time. Drought, wild fires, decrease in water supply for
human and industrial consumption, are also the effects of warm phase.
 La Niña (cold phase). The opposite of the El Niño. It has the same characteristic with the
normal ENSO event but intensified due to anomalous wind. This phase enhances the
already strong tropical storm, intense flashflood brought by heavy rainfalls, and coastal
erosion.
Both the cold and warm phases can bring negative effects to agricultural lands and crops.
Drought and excessive rainfall causes crop damages and decrease in crop production.