Climate (Global Systems)

Science 10

Weather

Refers to atmospheric conditions of a particular location at a specific instant of time. E.g. Rain, sun, wind, snow etc.

Climate

The average weather conditions in a region measured over a period of several years.

Biosphere

The narrow zone around Earth that can support life.

Biotic and Abiotic

All three pats of biosphere include ... and ... components.

Bitoic

Living things

Abiotic

Non-living things in the environment

Troposphere

•Surface to 10km

•15 degrees to -60 degrees celsius (decreases with altitude)

•Contains 80% of atmosphere gases

•Has most living organisms

•Airplanes fly here!

Stratosphere

•From 10km to 50km

•-60 degrees to 0 degrees Celsius

•Contains the OZONE LAYER

•Conversion or atmosphere's oxygen to ozone is EXOTHERMIC—Accounts for temperature

Mesophere

•50km to 80km

•0 degrees to -100 degrees celsius

•Trace water vapour

Thermosphere

•80km to 300km

•-100 degrees to 1500 degrees

•Very little gas

An Inversion

A reversal of the temperature change with altitude.

Colder air

Specific atmospheric conditions trap... closer to the ground.

Biosphere

•Atmosphere

•Lithosphere

•Hydrosphere

Atmosphere

•Troposphere

•Stratosphere

•Mesosphere

•Thermosphere

Lithosphere

•All lands on the planet

-Mountains

-Plains

-Deserts

-Forests

-Extend's from Earth's surface to 100km below

Hydrosphere

•Consists of all Earth's water

•97% salt water

•3% fresh water (ice, glaciers, snow, lakes, streams etc.)

Sun

Source of all energy on Earth

Solar energy

...that radiates from the sun contains many different types of radiation which are classified according to different wavelengths.

Insolation

The amount of this energy that is actually received on Earth's surface is called... It has man implications for climate on different parts of the earth.

Angle of inclination

The Earth's axis of rotation is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees from a line drawn perpendicular from its orbital plane. This is called the ...

Tilt

The ... of the Earth changes the insolation at different parts of the Earth at different times of the year.

Solstice

A ... is one of two points in Earth's orbit when the poles are more titled towards or away from the sun.

Equinox

An ... is when the number of daylight hours is exactly equal to the number of hours of night.

Latitude

The Earth is divided into different... where 0 degrees is at the equator and the lines are at 90 degrees.

Sphere

The fact that the Earth is shaped like a ... has an effect on the insolation at different latitudes.

Incidence

The ... of a ray is the angle between the ray and a line that is drawn perpendicular to the Earth's surface.

Less

Areas near the poles receive... solar energy per square kilometer.

More

Areas near the equator receive .. solar energy per square kilometer.

Different amounts of solar energy received

This obviously has major implications for the climate on different parts of the Earth.

Biosphere

Absorption and reflection of the sun's rays happens in all three parts of the...

Atmosphere and Lithosphere

Absorption and Reflection by the Biosphere:

1. The gases in the atmosphere. Different layers of the atmosphere babe different gases.

2. Cloud cover and atmospheric dust

The types and amounts of radiation absorbed or reflected is affected by:

Albedo

Lithosphere & Atmosphere: The ... of a surface is the percent of solar radiation that it reflects. The average ... for the Earth's surface is about 30%.

Heat Energy

When solar energy is absorbed, the Earth's surface, some of it is re-emitted into the atmosphere in the form of ...

Carbon Dioxide Gas (CO2)

Heat energy is absorbed and stored by mainly ... in the atmosphere.

Natural Greenhouse Effect

Without this... our advantage atmospheric temperature would be below 0 degrees.

Artificial Greenhouse Effect

Other greenhouse gases, some of them man-made, absorb and store thermal energy. These contribute to the ...

Net Radiation Budget: Incoming Radiation

Solar radiation that reaches the surface of the Earth (isn't reflected by the atmosphere).

Net Radiation Budget: Outgoing Radiation

Thermal radiation that is re-emitted by the Earth's surface into space (not absorbed by the greenhouse gases).

Average global temperature fairly steady

For the entire planet, the energy budget is generally balanced (incoming = outgoing). This keeps the...

Latitude

The amount of energy absorbed and emitted changes with ...

Low insolation and higher albedo

The polar regions tend to have less incoming radiation (... insolation) than outgoing radiation (... albedo). This gives them a net radiation budget deficit.

More insolation and lower albedo

Regions near the equator tend to have more incoming radiation (... insolation) than outgoing radiation (... albedo). This gives them a net radiation budget surplus.

According to the second law of thermodynamics

Energy moves from hot to cold.

Thermal Heat Transfer

•Radiation

•Conduction

•Convection

Radition

•Emission of energy as particles or waves.

•This energy, when absorbed by an object, will increase the kinetic energy (Ek) and therefore the temperature of the particles.

Conduction

Energy transferred by vibrating atoms that are bonded together.

Convection

•Movement of particles form one location to another.

•As particles absorb energy they move apart, decreasing density.

•LOWER density particles move UP.

•HIGHER density particles move DOWN.

Atmospheric Pressure

The pressure exerted by the air above any point on Earth's surface.

Pressure

Colder air exerts more ... than warm air, since it is more dense.

Convection Currents

This difference in air pressure and temperature creates ... in the atmosphere.

Wind

... is the movement of air from regions of high pressure to regions of low pressure

The Coriolis Effect

The bending of moving currents in response to Earth's rotation.

Opposite Directions

The Coriolis effect causes winds in the two hemispheres to move in ...

Global Wind Patterns

Convection currents and the Coriolis effect cause the ...

A Jet Stream

A narrow fast flowing "river" of air in the stratosphere. These strong winds (480-640km/h) are typically thousands of kilometers long and hundreds of kilometers wide.

Predicting severe weather

Changes in the jet stream are important in ...

The hydrosphere from warmer latitudes to cooler polar regions largely due to global winds and currents.

Thermal energy is transferred through ...

The Specific Heat Capacity

The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1g of substance by 1 degrees.

Quantity of Thermal Energy

This is the amount of thermal energy that is released or absorbed by one gram of a substance when its temperature changes by 1 degrees.

Formula for the quantity of thermal energy

Q = mct

Constant

During a phase change, the temperature of water remains ...

The amount of energy released or absorbed when it changes from a liquid to a solid, or solid to liquid.

The heat of fusion of a substance is ...

Heat of fusion formula

Q = nHfus

Amount of energy released or absorbed when it changes from a liquid to a gas.

The heat of vaporization of a substance is...

Heat of vaporization formula

Q = nHvap

Earth's Biomes

•Tundra

•Taiga

•Deciduous Forest

•Grassland