APES Test: Atmosphere and Global Change

why solar radiation varies with latitude

equator gets direct sunlight; poles get angled sunlight spread over more area

angle of incidence

angle at which sunlight hits earth; higher angle = more energy

atmospheric thickness

sunlight at higher latitudes passes through more atmosphere, reducing energy

why solar radiation varies with seasons

earth’s 23.5 degree tilt changes which hemisphere is tilted toward the sun

albedo

reflectivity of a surface (high: snow/ice and low: forests/soil)

equinox

day and night are equal everywhere (sun directly over equator)

solstice

longest or shortest day; sun directly over tropic of cancer or capricorn

insolation

amount of incoming solar radiation that reaches earth’s surface

tropical climate zone

0.23.5 degrees latitude; warm, direct sun

temperate climate zone

23.5-66.5 degrees; moderate temperatures

polar climate zone

66.5-90 degrees; cold, low solar energy

major gases in the atmosphere

N2, O2, Ar, trace CO2, H2O, CH4-

troposphere

lowest layer; weather occurs; temperate decreases with altitude

stratosphere

contains ozone layer; temperate increases with altitude

mesosphere

middle layer; meteors burn; very cold

thermosphere

upper layer; very hot, auroras occur

tropopause

boundary between troposphere and stratosphere

stratopause

boundary between stratosphere and mesosphere

mesopause

boundary between mesosphere and thermosphere

thermopause

upper boundary of the thermosphere; edge of the atmosphere

convection cell

warm air rises, cools, sinks; repeats in a cycle

vertical air movement

warm air rises (less dense); cool air sinks (more dense)

horizontal air movement (wind)

air flows from high pressure to low pressure

adiabatic cooling

air rises, expands, and cools

adiabatic heating

air sinks, compresses, and warms

latent heat release

heat released when water vapor condenses

hadley cell

0–30° latitude; rising air at equator creates rain; sinking air at 30° makes deserts

ferrel cell

30–60° latitude; mid-latitude weather

polar cell

60–90° latitude; cold, dense air sinks at poles

coriolis effect

earth’s rotation causes moving air to curve right (N hemisphere) and left (S hemisphere)

trade winds

blow east —> west near equator

westerlies

blow west —> east in mid latitudes

polar easterlies

blow east —> west near poles

jet stream

fast moving air at tropopause between convection cells

ITCZ

band of rising air near the equator with heavy rainfall

fronts

boundary between two air masses; regions of rapid weather changes

greenhouse effect

earth absorbs UV/visible light and re-emits IR heat; GHGs trap this heat

major greenhouse gases

CO2, H2O, vapor, CH4, N2O, O3, CFCs

CO2 trend (Keeling Curve)

CO2 has increased over decades, oscillates seasonally due to plant growth/decay; oscillates yearly because more plant photosynthesis in summer and leaf decay in winter

soot (land, snow, ice)

promotes more absorption of solar radiation (net warming effect)

sulfate aerosols (air)

promotes reflection of solar radiation (net cooling effect)

ways scientists can test for atmosphere and temperature conditions

ice core samples —> show past CO2 levels and temperatures

sediment cores —> show long-term climate patterns

tree rings —> show yearly climate variations

coral cores —> show ocean temperature and chemistry history

evidence of modern climate change

melting ice, sea levels rise, hotter temperatures, extreme weather, species shifts, coral bleaching, ocean acidification

positive feedback loops for global warming

ice-albedo feedback: warming melts ice —> lower albedo —> more warming

water vapor feedback: warming increases evaporation —> more water vapor —> more warming

hurricane formation

warm ocean water + rising moist air + low pressure +coriolis

hurricane trajectory

steered by trade winds and westerlies; curves due to coriolis effect

Clean Air Act (1970)

regulates air pollutants in the USA

Montreal Protocol (1987)

phases out CFCs; protects ozone layer

Kyoto Protocol (1997)

first global GHG reduction treaty

Paris Agreement (2015)

global climate treaty to limit warming to 1.5–2°C

Ozone: Good vs Bad

stratospheric ozone (good): blocks harmful UV radiation

tropospheric ozone (bad): air pollutant; part of smog

where ozone is concentrated

stratosphere

ozone hole location

antarctica

cause of ozone hole + how it’s being fixed

cause: CFCs releasing chlorine that destroys ozone

being fixed: CFC ban under the Montreal Protocol —> ozone layer recovering

Key APES distinction

ozone depletion (CFCs) are not the same as GHGs

convection

heat transfers through a fluid

conduction

heat transfers through a solid

radiation

electromagnetic energy moving through air