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109 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Sun's energy
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solar radiation
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2 principal controls of sun's energy
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atmosphere and earth-sun geometry
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Characteristics of the Atmosphere
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composition, temperature structure, and pressure distribution
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Air
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A fluid and constantly changing
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Composition
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mixture of air; discrete gasses and solid/ liquid particles; NOT constant
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Oxygen
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21% of atmosphere; little of no affect of weather
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Nitrogen
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78% of atmosphere; little or no affect of weather
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Argon
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1% of atmosphere; no affect; noble gas
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Permanent gasses of atmosphere
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nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, etc.
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Variable gasses of atmosphere
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oxygen, carbon dioxide, ozone
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Water Vapor
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greenhouse gas; "weather maker"; stores latent heat
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Absorbed or Released energy?
Solid to Liquid |
Absorbed (melting)
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Absorbed or Released energy?
Liquid to Gas |
Absorbed (evaporation)
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Absorbed or Released energy?
Gas to Liquid |
Released (condensation)
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Absorbed or Released energy?
Liquid to Solid? |
Released (freezing)
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Most important greenhouse gases
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Carbon Dioxide, Water Vapor, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, Ozone
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Sources of Carbon Dioxide
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burning of solid waste, fossil fuels, wood and wood products, decomposition of dead organic material
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Sources of Methane
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Coal, natural gas, and oil, and organic wastes
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Nitrous Oxide
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Laughing gas (greenhouse); agricultural and industrial activities; little quantities but very powerful
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Ozone
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Greenhouse gas found in stratosphere; necessary for life; absorbs solar/shortwave radiation
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Aerosol
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natural sources: sea salt, pollen, soil, volcanic dust
human sources: smog, soot, industrial dust |
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Effect of scattering radiation
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sunsets and sunrises
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Causes of variations in atmosphere
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latitude, geography, season, time of day, weather patterns, volcanic activity, solar activity, etc.
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2 layers of vertical composition
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homosphere (0-80 km) and hererosphere ( > 80 km)
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Troposphere
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1st layer of atmosphere
greek: overturning 0-10 km called "weather layer" top = tropopause (very cold; first cold trap) |
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Stratosphere
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Second layer
greek: lying flat 10-50 km top = stratopause (upper end of temperature inversion) |
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Mesosphere
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Third layer
greek: middle layer 50-90 km top = mesopause (extremely cold; 2nd cold trap) |
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Thermosphere
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4th layer (top)
greek: hot layer above 90 km |
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As height in atmosphere increases, pressure...?
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Decreases
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As density increases, pressure...?
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Increases
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Primary sources of solar radiation reaching Earth's surface
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distance, angle, composition of atmosphere
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Rotation
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Gives us day and night; from north pole, it is counter clockwise
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Revolution
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Elliptical orbit; 365 and 1/4 days (1 year)
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Perihelion
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Earth's shortest distance from sun; January 3rd; 147 x 10^6 km
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Aphelion
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Earth's longest distance from sun; July 4th, 152 x 10^6 km
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Tilt of earth on ecliptic leads to...?
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Solar altitude and variations in day length
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Zenith Angle
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90 - Solar altitude angle
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Influence in variations in solar altitude angle
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energy concentration/ intensity and atmospheric path length (of sun's rays)
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Solar Declination
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Moves between 23.5 degrees N. and 23.5 degrees S. (subsolar point)
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Circle of Illumination
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Splits day and night
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Causes of variations in day length and solar angle
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Earth's axis orientation to sun's rays
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Degree of tilt of Earth's axis
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23 and 1/2 degrees
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June 21-22
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Summer Solstice; sun directly overhead tropic of cancer
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September 22-23
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Fall Equinox; sun directly over equator
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December 21-22
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Winter Solstice; sun directly over tropic of capricorn
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March 21-22
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Spring Equinox; sun directly over equator
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Equinox
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12 hour day, 12 hour night
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SI unit of energy
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Joule
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Power
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Energy per time; SI unit is Watts
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Energy transfer per time per unit area
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(power per unit area); Energy Flux; SI unit Wm^-2
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A force applied over a distance requires...
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Energy
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Energy
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Ability to do work
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Macroscopic Kinetic Energy
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Locomotion (ex. rain falling); motion associated with moving objects
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Microscopic Kinetic Energy
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No locomotion/ temperature (ex. randomly moving air molecules); motion at molecular level
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If rate of vibration increases, temperature...
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Increases
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3 forms of energy transportation
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conduction, convection, and radiation
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First law of thermodynamics
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Energy can be neither created nor destroyed
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Energy input
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shortwave/ solar radiation
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Energy output
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longwave radiation
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Non-equilibrium (of input and output energy)
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change in temperature
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Equilibrium (of input and output energy)
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no change in temperature
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Radiation
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mode of energy transfer; only way earth receives energy from sun; power source of weather systems
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Electromagnetic Radiation
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moves at speed of light; spreads in all directions in straight lines; variables are wavelength, frequency, and velocity (speed of light)
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Radiation Spectrum
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Distribution of radiation over different wavelengths and frequencies
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Three important ranges of radiation
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ultraviolet, infrared, and visible
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Wavelength of Ultraviolet Radiation
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10 ^ -2 - .04
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Wavelength of visible radiation
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.04 - .07
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Wavelength of infrared radiation
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.07 - 100
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Ultraviolet and Visible Radiation
Shortwave or Longwave? |
Shortwave
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Infrared Radiation
Shortwave or Longwave? |
Longwave
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General Principles of Radiation
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All things emit radiation;
If radiation is absorbed, molecular motion and temperature increase |
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Black Body
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Object that absorbs all radiation; has ideal emission efficiency (emissivity = 1)
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Gray Body
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Has emissivity less than one
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Reflectivity + Absorbivity + Transmissivity equals?
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1
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Stefan Boltzmann Law
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All objects/ substances emit radiation at a rate proportional to the 4th power of its absolute temperature
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Wien's Displacement Law
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Rise of temperature increases solar radiation and shifts energy output to shorter wavelengths inversely proportional to absolute temperature
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Percent of solar radiation reflected by atmosphere (global)
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30%
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Percent of solar radiation absorbed by atmosphere (global)
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25%
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Percent of solar radiation absorbed by surface (transmitted) ((global))
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45%
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Percent of solar radiation absorbed by surface with clear sky (no clouds)
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70%
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Percent of solar radiation absorbed/ reflected by surface with overcast skies
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25% absorbed, 75% reflected
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Absorption
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Conversion of radiation to heat
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Kirchoff's Law
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If a substance is an efficient emitter at a given wavelength range, it is also an efficient absorber at that range
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Selective Absorption
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Specific gases of atmosphere absorbed
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Ultraviolet Ray Shortwave Absorbers
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Oxygen and Ozone
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Infrared Ray Longwave Absorbers
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Water, Carbon Dioxide, Ozone, Oxygen, Nitrogen
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Visible Range window for radiation
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.4 - .7 wavelength; if closed, there is a cooling effect
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Longwave window for radiation
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8 - 12 wavelength; if closed warming ( Enhanced Greenhouse) effect
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Radiation emitted from Earth's atmosphere
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Longwave/ Terrestrial
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Radiation emitted from Sun
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shortwave/ solar
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When solar radiation is absorbed in Earth's atmosphere, most is re-emitted as...?
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longwave radiation
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"Balance" of radiation
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Conservation of energy (K* + L*)
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Effect of Incoming Longwave Radiation at surface
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Greenhouse Effect
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Effect of Incoming Shortwave Radiation being absorbed
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Atmospheric Net Loss
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Location of Maximum Shortwave/ Solar Radiation?
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Top of Earth's Atmosphere
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Net Radiation
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Net result of radiation processes; energy available for other forms of energy and energy transport
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Location of conversion of radiant energy to heat
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At surface of atmosphere
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Convection
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Heat is transported because of flow/ circulation of fluid (liquids or gases)
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Conduction
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Heat transported molecule by molecule; only transportation possible in solids
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Soil Heat Flux
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Qg; conductive flux
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Sensible Heat Flux
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Qh; convective flux; convection occurs when there is a vertical circulation and mixing in atmosphere
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Latent Heat Flux
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Qe; convective flux; exchange of latent heat is greatest when air near the surface if continuously replaced by drier air above the surface (ex. windy conditions)
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Latent Heat of Vaporization
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Lv; amount of energy (per mass) required to change liquid to gas
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Melting
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Solid to liquid; no temperature change
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Vaporization and Sublimation; energy stored at...?
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Latent Heat
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Mass, like energy, is...?
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Conserved
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Bowen Ratio
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Ratio of Latent heat flux and Sensible Heat Flux Qh/ Qe
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Bowen Ratio > 1 when...?
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Qh > Qe; dry surfaces
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Bowen Ratio < 1 when...?
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Qh < Qe; wet surfaces
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