Chapter 2 + 3 - Radiation and Climate Change

Temperature

measure of molecular speeds in a substances

Latent Heat

heat released/absorbed when water changes phases (heat transfer type)

Evaporation

cooling process; energy is carried to other locations and removes heat from the environment

Condensation

warming process; returns heat to environment

Conduction

transfer of heat in a substance via direct physical contact (warmer object to cooler object) (least significant means of heat transfer)

What is a poor heat conductor but a good insulator?

Air

Convection

transfer of heat involving circulation in fluids (water/air) (heat transfer type)

Thermal

Rising warm air bubbles carrying heat

Radiation

solar (electromagnetic) energy received from sun (important type of energy and heat transfer)

What are the laws of radiation?

All objects emit radiation; hotter objects emit more energy than colder ones; hotter energy releases in shorter wavelengths

Relative to the Earth, what’s the difference between shortwave and longwave radiation?

Shortwave comes from the sun, longwave comes from Earth

The Solar Constant

solar energy received at the atmosphere’s top being nearly constant

Absorption

radiation striking the surface and converting to heat energy (atmosphere interaction)

Reflection

radiation being reflected without heat conversion (atmosphere interaction)

Albedo

percent of radiation reflected by an object

Scattering

radiation bouncing off objects (aerosols) in many directions (atmosphere interaction)

Selective Absorber

“Greenhouse gases”; gases letting in and keeping out certain radiations and amounts

Atmospheric Window

infrared radiation from Earth’s surface passes directly to space without being absorbed; clouds are good absorbers of IR in window

Greenhouse Effect

natural phenomenon warming surface and lower atmosphere

What do clouds do to temp ranges?

They keep day temps low and night temps high, lowering the daily temp range

What is our average annual temp?

59 degrees F

Temperature Control

a factor causing the temperature to vary (5 factors)

Latitude

primary control of temperature (temperatures drop as latitude is gained from the equator) (TC factor)

Elevation

temperatures lower as elevation rises (TC factor)

Land and Water (large bodies)

water heats and cools slower and to a lesser degree than land (TC factor)

Ocean Currents

transport heat from one world region to another (TC factor)

Gulf Stream (Atlantic)

warm current flowing from tropics to midlatitudes

California Current

cold current flowing from cold to warm latitudes

Prevailing Wind

dominant wind direction (TC factor)

Windward Coast

winds blow from ocean to land

Leeward Coast

winds blow from land to ocean

Fahrenheit

used by US and Belize; water freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees

Celsius

used for scientific purposes; water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees

Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion

C x 1.8 + 32

Fahrenheit to Celsius conversion

F - 32 / 1.8

Isotherms

lines connecting points of equal temps (never cross each other)

Temperature Gradient

amount of temperature changes per distance (steep = closely spaced, gentle = widely spaced)

Global Warming

Earth’s rising surface temperature

Climate Change

warming and ‘side effects’ of warming (high CO2)

Methane

trace gas; 20x more effective than CO2 when absorbing infrared radiation)

What is the strongest signal of climate change?

Arctic sea ice loss

Permafrost

permanently frozen soil layer that releases CO2 and methane when it thaws

Ocean Acidity

levels dissolved CO2 in ocean that increase over time