We use these sources of energy much more than the sources that give off less pollution. Petroleum, one of the sources of energy, is used a lot. It is used for transportation, making electricity, and making many other things. Although this source of energy gives off a lot of pollution, it is used for 38% of the United States’ energy.

Some other examples of using energy and polluting the air are:

The seasonal signal in the Florida Current was discovered in tide gauge measurements by Montgomery (1938) who found evidence for a seasonal maximum in July and minimum in October with secondary maximum and minimum in January and April respectively. Other early reports of this signal include Iselin (1940), Fuglister (1951), Patullo et al. (1955), Wunsch et al. (1969), Schmitze and Richardson (1968) and Niiler and Richardson (1973). Niiler and Richardson (1973) found a winter transport of 25.4 Sv and summer transport of 33.6 and that seasonal changes accounted for about 45% of the variability between historical transport estimates. This supports Wuncsch et al. (1969) who, based on sea level height differences, concluded that the seasonal transport differences were approximately 10% of the annual mean signal. STACS results indicated that transports can vary between 20Sv and 40 Sv (Molinari et al. 1985; Leaman et al. 1987; Schott et al. 1988; Lee et al 1985; Larsen and Sanford, 1985). Recently the annual signal has been attributed to a build up and breakdown of the Bermuda High as it relates to the seasonal cycle with the trade winds. Lee et al. (1996) found a correlation between the observed wind field and observed transport variability confirming the predictions in the numerical model of Boning et al (1991). In addition to the annual signal, there is also a semiannual summer maximum tied to an additional strengthening of the trade winds and increase in local winds (Lee et al. 1996). Historical records have shown that monthly variability within the Florida current can be as high as the seasonal variability There are also short term variations with periods of 2-20 days. These fluctuations are correlated to local winds and are much stronger in summer than in winter (Lee and Williams, 1988).

The trade winds coming from the south and the north meet near the equator. These converging trade winds produce general upward winds as they are heated, so there are no steady surface winds. This area of calm is called the doldrums.

Between thirty and sixty degrees latitude, the winds that move toward the poles appear to curve to the east. Because winds are named from the direction in which they originate, these winds are called prevailing westerlies. Prevailing westerlies in the Northern Hemisphere are responsible for many of the weather movements across the United States and Canada.

At about sixty degrees latitude in both hemispheres, the prevailing westerlies join with polar easterlies to reduce upward motion. The polar easterlies form when the atmosphere over the poles cools. This cool air then sinks and spreads over the surface. As the air flows away from the poles, it is turned to the west by the Coriolis effect. Again, because these winds begin in the east, they are called easterlies. Many of these changes in wind direction are hard to visualize. Complete this exercise to see the pattern of the winds.

The Florida Current has been shown to have a mean transport of about 30 Sv in historical literature (Schmitz and Richardson, 1968; Niiler and Richardson, 1973). This value has been confirmed in numerous studies and has stood up to modern scrutiny. More recently the STACS study confirmed this value with the finding a mean transport of 31.5 Sv at 27°N in the straits of Florida (Molinari et al., 1985; Leaman et al., 1987; Schott et al., 1988; Lee et al 1985; Larsen and Sanford, 1985). Researchers used undersea cables, current meter moorings and a Pegasus profiler, and all three methods produced transports that were within 1-2 Sv of each other. There has however, been demonstrated that this current is subject to both seasonal and interannual variability. These changes are significant and can amount to as much as a 10 Sv difference between high and low values along the eastern Florida coast (Schott et al. 1988). Most of this water appears to originate in the Gulf of Mexico. Early estimates of inflow through island passages in the Florida Straits are only about 3.5 Sv. (Schmitz and Richardson, 1968) Later estimates are much larger with Schmitz and Richardson (1990) reporting a total of 28.8 Sv for five key passages, Grenada, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica and Windward. Wilson and Johns (1996) found an influx of 17.5 Sv and note the presence of strong outflows in these passages as well. Flow through these passages is highly variable and may in part account for the considerable variability of the Florida Current.

Surface ocean currents form large circular patterns called gyres. Gyres flow clockwise in Northern Hemisphere oceans and counterclockwise in Southern Hemisphere oceans because of the Coriolis Effect. creating surface ocean currents. Near the Earth’s poles, gyres tend to flow in the opposite direction

Earth’s rotation produces a force on winds and currents. The force is perpendicular to the wind and current. It acts to the right of the flow looking downstream in the northern hemisphere. This effect is referred to as the CORIOLIS EFFECT.

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