TOPIC 1

ENERGY FROM THE SUN

Which photo is about

weather? Which is about

climate?

WEATHER: conditions of

temperature, air pressure,

cloud cover, precipitation,

humidity, etc that occur at a

particular place at a

particular time.

CLIMATE: the average

weather conditions of a

region over a long time (at

least several years).

http://www.longjohnindex.ca/news/2

019/3/4/long-john-index-weather-

map-for-march-4-2019

In what ways is this an example of

weather?

In what ways is this an example of

climate?

True or False?

When it is summer in Canada it is also summer in Australia.

This Helpful Video Explains it All!! https://youtu.be/Pgq0LThW7QA

•What causes the seasons?

• It’s summer in the Northern

Hemisphere when the north

pole is tilted toward the sun

• It’s winter in the Northern

Hemisphere when the north

pole is tilted away from the sun

ALBEDO

Albedo

• Light from the sun is either

absorbed and converted to heat, or

reflected back to space.

• Albedo is a measure of how much

light is reflected by a surface.

• Snow, ice, clouds and suspended

particles (e.g. volcanic ash) have

high albedos

• When light is reflected

back to space, it can have

a global cooling effect.

•High Albedo = most light

reflected

•Low Albedo = most light

absorbed

Insolation & Climate

• A region’s climate is largely determined by the amount

of solar radiation striking that part of earth’s surface

(Insolation)

• Insolation is determined by the angle at which the

light strikes the earth, the albedo of the surface and

cloud cover.

• This is why it’s hotter at the equator than at the poles.

Less energy per m2

More energy per m2

Insolation & Climate

Weather and climate result from

interactions between the

different parts of our biosphere

plus the input of energy from the

sun

ATMOSPHERE: air

HYDROSPHERE: water

LITHOSPHERE: earth

ENERGY FROM

THE SUN

(INSOLATION)

Southern Alberta – Summer of 2005

The Atmosphere

The Atmosphere

• A mixture of gases extending about 500 km from the surface of Earth

• Nitrogen (78%)

• Oxygen (21%)

• Water vapour (part of the hydrosphere)

• Dust particles, carbon dioxide, other

KCVS Structure of the atmosphere:

http://www.kcvs.ca/site/projects/chemistry.html

Stratosphere (10 to 50 km)

• Temp increases as

you go up in this layer

•Contains ozone (O3)

gas layer

Troposphere (0 to 10 km)

• Average temp (15 ̊ C)

• Nearly all life

contained in this layer

Mesosphere

• Temp decreases

Thermosphere

• Gets really hot

• Auroras (caused by earth’s

magnetic field)

Layers of the Atmosphere:

Altitude and Temperature

• In the troposphere, temperature decreases with altitude.

• This is one reason for the upper limit of plant growth on mountains and

the formation of glaciers at high altitudes.

The Lithosphere

The Lithosphere

• The solid part of the earth – floats on the

semi-molten mantle layer

• Life is found to depths of several kilometers

The Hydrosphere

• All of the earth’s water that

supports life

• 97% marine saltwater

• 3% freshwater (most of

which is frozen as

mountain glaciers and

continental ice sheets)

The Natural Greenhouse Effect

• Greenhouse gases (GHGs) in our atmosphere trap in heat radiated from earth.

• GHGs include water vapour, carbon dioxide and methane.

• Without the greenhouse effect, earth would be covered completely with ice.

Infra

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Check Your Understanding• How would clear-cutting a forest (called deforestation) affect

insolation in the region? Assume the soil underneath is dark.

Check Your Understanding• How do forest fires & atmospheric ash from volcanoes affect

insolation?