Reviewing the Atmosphere…

Reviewing the Atmosphere…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YAOT92wuD8

The Radiation Budget

• the total amount of energy the Earth receives and loses

• is held in a state of balance by the three components of the biosphere.

• All of the energy entering the atmosphere is either absorbed by the earth, or reflected back into space. Albedo is the reflectivity of a surface.

Keeping in the heat

• Greenhouse gasses absorb and reradiate the energy from the sun, keeping the Earth warm.

• These gasses include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide (dinitrogen monoxide), ground level (tropospheric) ozone, halocarbons (like chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s)), and hydro fluorocarbons (HFC’s).

Weather: • Short term changes in temperature, precipitation, winds, humidity, clouds, storms, and air pressure.

• Weather results from energy conversions: radiant energy from the sun to thermal energy in the atmosphere to mechanical energy.

• Retention of the heat by greenhouse gasses is known as the Greenhouse effect.

Climates and Seasons

Climate: • Long-term general weather trends in a certain

geographic region.• Different climates are based mainly on

temperature and precipitation differences.

The Earth’s Solar Radiation Budget

Outgoing infrared radiation

The Sun, The Earth’s Axis, & The Orbit

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The fact that the Earth is round and that it is tilted on its axis (angle of inclination) combine to produce unequal heating on the surface of the Earth.

Wide ranges of climates exist on Earth because all parts of the Earth do not receive the same amount of incoming solar radiation.

Latitude determines the duration and intensity of the incoming solar radiation hitting the surface in a particular region.

The sun’s rays hit the equator more or less directly (90 angle to the surface) all year round.

As we move away from the equator, the suns rays are spread out over a greater area.

Therefore, the same amount of energy is covering more surface area (= less intense)

• There are three major climate regions, or zones.

• Named according to their general climates: 1) polar2) temperate3) tropical

Climate Regions

• Latitudinal lines on a map mark out these areas. These lines are called:- The Arctic Circle - The Tropic of Cancer- The Tropic of Capricorn - The Antarctic Circle.

Figure 10.10 (Pg 374)

66.5oN

23.5oN

Equator = 0o

23.5oS

66.5oS

The Seasons

The Sun’s Impact on Weather

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