climate change

grade 10

biosphere

all living organisms on Earth

hydrosphere

all water on Earth

lithosphere

crust of the Earth

atmosphere

gases surrounding the Earth’s crust

temperature in the troposphere

colder

temperature in the stratosphere

warmer since it absorbs UV rays from the sun

temperature in the mesosphere

colder

temperature in the thermosphere

warmer since it absorbs most of the sun’s radiation

where is the ionosphere

in the mesosphere and thermosphere and exosphere

order the earth’s atmosphere (4 levels) from the ground up

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere

naturally and human made things in the troposphere

natural: bees, butterflies, clouds, birds, jetstreams

man made: commercial airplanes, blimps, buildings

naturally and human made things in the stratosphere

natural: ozone layer, meteors
man made: weather balloons, research airplane

naturally and human made things in the mesosphere

natural: meteors, clouds

naturally and human made things in the thermosphere

natural: auroras, sprites
man made: ISS, satellites

weather and climate takes place in the…

troposphere

weather

local short term atmospheric conditions at a certain time and place

climate

weather patterns in a large area over longer periods of time

what are the 3 climate zones + describe

polar - highly seasonal, colder

temperate - seasonal

tropical - not seasonal or dry and wet seasons

order the climate zones starting from the equator

tropical, temperate, polar

insolation

the amount of sun an area receives

tropical moist

All months average above 18⁰ C. Annual precipitation is greater than 1500 mm. There is either a short dry season or no dry season.

dry

Temperatures range from +40C to -40C. Precipitation is low.

moist mid-latitude with mild winters (subcontinental)

Warm to hot summers. The coldest month has an average temperature above -3C.

moist mid-latitude with cold winters (continental)

Warm to cool summers. The coldest month has an average temperature below -3C.

polar (koppen)

Cool summers and extremely cold winters. The warmest month has an average temperature below 10C.

conduction

the transfer of thermal energy between 2 objects in direct contact

radiation

transfer of thermal energy by EM waves (reflect, transmit, or absorb)

convection

is the transfer of thermal energy through the bulk movement of fluids, such as wind or ocean currents (energy is carried by the moving particles)

the Earth’s surface (land and water) is heated through…

radiation

the air directly above the ground (surface) is heated by…

conduction

warm air is dense so it rises upwards and is heated by…

convection

jet streams

strong bands of wind that blow from east to west, due to masses of warm and cool air meeting

how many main jetstreams are there

4

2 ways jetstreams effect humans

1. affect plane speeds if flying east or west etc

2. moves weather systems

the coriolis effect - why do jetstreams move from west to east?

the Earth’s surface moves fastest at the equator, so air moving towards the equator can’t catch up and seems to move west or back and the air moving away from the equator gets ahead of the surface and seems to move east or forwards

what direction does the convection cycle directly above the equator go

ccw

thermohaline circulation

warm water has less salinity and will rise

cold water has more salinity and will sink

great ocean conveyor belt - how long and why is it important

continuous loop of water through the oceans, cycles every 500 years and helps to circulate nutrients

energy budget

total energy exchange between Earth and its surrounding space

the amount of absorbed and emitted energy must be … for the Earth to maintain its average temperature

equal

albedo

ability of matter to reflect radiation

ex of high albedo (reflective)

clouds, ice, snow

ex of low albedo (absorbs heat)

asphalt, deep water

thermosphere absorbs what kind of waves?

x rays and gamma rays

stratosphere absorbs what kind of waves? (ozone layer)

UV rays

how is visible light rays absorbed

hit the Earth’s surface, with some of it being reflected and some being remitted as infrared which gets trapped in the atmosphere and heats the Earth

greenhouse effect

slowing re-emission of energy (heat) back into space, helps to keep the Earth warm during the night

list 5 GhG

carbon dioxide, methane, water vapour, nitrogen dioxide (smog), ozone