Chapter 9: External energy fuels weather and climate

Weather — Climate

Short term processes — long term processes

What range is the energy in the earth’s climate?

10² - 10^-1or2

what is the percentage of energy flow to and from earth?

Solar radiation = 99.97%, heat flow from interior- 0.025%, tidal energy - 0.0017%

where does net heating and net cooling happend on the earth?

Net heating - Equatorial Belt( 38 degrees North and South) - 2.4 times the polar region absorption, Net cooling - Polar regions | Heat transfers from the equator to the poles

What raises the earth’s surface temperature and causes reradiation?

Greenhouse effect

Solar radiation - short wavelength, raises temp | Excess heat re- radiated - long wavelength, raises temp, abosorbed by greenhouse gases

What causes the direct reflection of solar radiation,Ice cover increases Albedo, Liquid water decreases Albedo

Albedo

what is it called when water evaporates from ocean plants. Rises as vapour in atmosphere?

Transpiration

Vapour condenses and falls as water with gravity returning it to the oceans during ?

Precipitation

Fraction of solar energy that drives water evaporation

1/4

what has the Highest heat capacity, heat conduction and latent heat of vaporization but second highest latent heat of fusion

Water

what is the amount of water vapour in the air?

humidity

what is the maximum vapour content?

Saturation humidity

what is the ratio of humidity and saturation humidity?

Relative humidity

When relative humidity reaches 100%, excess water vapour condenses to liquid water the temperature is the _____

Dew point

what happens to heat during evaporation and melting

Heat is absorbed

what happens to heat during condensation and freezing

heat is released

what is Deposition

The change from Gas to Solid and this causes heat release

What happens to heat during sublimation

heat is absorbed

In what layer of the lower atmosphere does temperature decrease with altitude?

Troposphere, mesosphere

In what layer of the lower atmosphere does temperature decrease pause?

Tropopause

In what layer of the lower atmosphere does temperature increase with altitude?

Stratosphere

In what layer of the lower atmosphere does temperature increase pause?

Stratopause

what forces air to flow from high to low pressure

Pressue gradient

What is a map line connecting points of equal pressure

Isobar

what is horizontal air flow across isobars perpendicularly from high to low known as

Wind -

what is the force due to the Earth’s rotation

Coriolis Effect

what causes surface(ground, trees) to resist flow?

Friction

What does solar radiation at the equator power the circulation of

Hadley Cells

Where does warm moist air rise at?

Intertropical Convergence Zone

Cooled dry air sinks at 30 N and 30 S and warms

Some air moves poleward as ________ , some flows equatorward as _________

westerlies and tradewinds

what are sloping surface boundaries seperating air masses with different temperature and moisture content, can trigger severe weather and violent storms

Fronts

Cold Fronts - cold air mass moves in and under warm air mass, lifting it up (tall clouds and thunderstorms)

Picture depiction of cold fronts

Warm fronts- warm air flows up and over cold air mass( widespread clouds)

Picture depiction of warm fronts

Troughs and Ridges

what do surface and near-surface of ocean waters do?

They absorb and store huge amounts of solar energy. Surface and deep-ocean circulation transfers heat throughout oceans, affects global climate

What increases water density

Lower temperature, higher dissolved salt-content. Deep ocean water flow is thermohaline (from heat and salt