Earth Science 2.0

Specific heat capacity

• amount of heat energy needed to raise temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree Celsius

• material-specific property

• energy a substance can store in the form of heat

high specific heat capacity

• absorb a lot of heat without significant temperature change

• warms/cools slowly

• more energy to change temperature

• Ex: water

low specific heat capacity

• heat up quickly with less energy input

• warms/cools quickly

• takes much less energy to change its temperature

• ex: metals

Q

amount of heat absorbed/released when temperature changes

water specific heat capacity

4.19 J/g°C

sand specific heat capacity

0.290 J/g°C

oil specific heat capacity

3.23 J/gºC

temperature and specific heat order (lowest to highest)

1. Gold

2. Silver

3. Copper

4. Cement

5. Water

latent heat

• state of substance changes

• does not change the temperature (stays the same)

day

land is warmer than water

sea breeze

• sea to land

• regulate temperature in coastal areas

• cold ocean air inland in day

• Land heats up/cools down faster than water (higher specific heat capacity)

night

water is warmer than land

land breeze

• land to sea

• land heats/cools faster than the sea

Pressure changes

• air above warming land is less dense (low-pressure area)

• air over the cooler water is denser (high-pressure area)

insolation

• incoming solar radiation

• amount of energy recieved in sunlight

electromagnetic radiation

• on a spectrum

• seen - visible light

• 99.8% of sun’s radiant energy is emitted in a narrow bandwidth from 20 to 2500 nanometers

Earth’s insolation curve

amount of energy released (wavelength) in different places on earth’s surface changing over time

earth’s axis tilt

• 23.5°

• combined with earth’s orbit around sun, causing seasons

stable jet stream

flows on a somewhat straight path

wavy jet stream

• allows warm air to move north

• allows cold air to sink deeper south

surplus heat energy

transferred by atmosphere and the oceans to higher latitudes

seasons

• Earth's axis is tilted (23.5 degrees) as it orbits the Sun

• different parts of the planet receive different amounts of direct sunlight at different times of the year

summer solstice

• June 21st

• longest day on the year in northern hemisphere

• winter solstice in southern hemisphere

• happens once a year

• north pole - 6 months daylight

• arctic circle - 24h daylight

• tropic of cancer - sun closest to this point

• equator - 12h daylight

• tropic of capricorn - 13.5h daylight

• antarctic circle - 0 hours daylight

• south pole - 6 months nighttime

equinoxes

• Vernal – March 21^st

• Autumnal – September 21^st

• equal day and night in northern/southern hemisphere

• sun is closest to equator

• happens twice a year

winter solstice

• December 21st

• shortest day on the year in northern hemisphere

• summer solstice in southern hemisphere

• happens once a year

• north pole - 6 months nighttime

• arctic circle - 24h nighttime

• tropic of cancer - 13.5h daytime

• equator - 12h daylight

• tropic of capricorn - sun closest to this point

• antarctic circle - 24h daytime

• south pole - 6 months daytime

vertical rays

• sun at zenith

• hits Earth's surface at a 90° angle

• most concentrated energy, warmth, and intensity

• between tropics of cancer and capricorn

angle of incidence

• sunlight hits the earth straight on (90°)

• vertical ray

low angle of incidence

longer distance for rays to travel

high angle of incidence

shorter distance for rays to travel

angle of inclination

angle of earth tilt

intensity of solar radiation

• affected by tilt of earth’s axis

• affected by orientation as it revolves around the sun

closer to the sun

high insolation

tilted away from the sun

low insolation

more angle sun

• spread out more when angled

• less heat

less angle sun

• more concentrated near equator

• more heat

distance of sun beam

• light spread outwards in all directions

• further - light intensity decreases (less heat)

• closer - light intensity increases (more heat)

inverse square law

light intensity decreases as the square of distance from sun increases

intensity

• increase - no angle, closer (light does not spread)

• decrease - angled, further (light does spread)

aspect

• direction of slope forces and surface faces

• changing angle sun’s rays strike the surface

north/south: Nothern hemisphere aspect

• mountains impact isolation

• southern aspect recieves more insolation than the nothern aspect (warmer)

morning

air temperature cooler

afternoon

air temperatures are warmer

albedo

amount/percentage of energy reflected by a surface

low albedo

• does not reflect well

• absorbs sunlight/thermal energy

• dark colors

high albedo

• reflects well

• does not absorb sunlight/thermal energy

• light colors

particles in atmosphere

influence insolation

cloud cover

• scatter sunlight

• absorb radiation

• reflect back to space

• transparency of atmosphere

low, thick clouds

• reflect solar radiation

• cool surface of Earth

high, thin clouds

• pass incoming solar radiation

• trap outgoing infrared radiation emitted by the earth (radiate it back down)

• warming surface of planet

volcanic ash

• reduce solar energy by ash reflecting/blocking it

• cool surface of earth

gyre

Large system of circulating ocean currents

warm currents/water

• move from tropics (equator) towards poles

• wet

• low pressure

cold currents/water

• move from poles towards equator

• dry

• high pressure

sea surface level impacts

• climate

• hurricanes

• weather patterns

• marine ecosystems

SST maps

• signal El Niño or La Niña conditions

• Warmer ocean waters can increase the strength of tropical storms

ocean currents

continuous, directed movements of seawater that flow through the world's oceans

surface currents

• Driven primarily by wind

• upper 400 m of ocean

Deep Water Currents

Driven by differences in water density

water density

variations in:

• temperature (thermo)

• salinity (haline)

cold, salty water

• denser

• sinks

warm, less salty water

• less dense

• rises

• creating a global conveyor belt that helps regulate Earth's climate

coriolis effect

• deflection of moving objects

• due to the Earth's rotation

coriolis effect rotation

• equator spins faster than the poles

• objects drift in their path

• faster/slower than the earth is spinning

coriolis effect strength

• stronger near the poles

• weaker at the equator

• magnitude related to the difference in rotation speed

fast to slow

• air moves faster than the world around it

• it gets AHEAD

• deflects right

slow to fast

• air is moving slower than the world around it

• it falls behind

• deflects left

northen hemisphere

clockwise

southern hemisphere

counterclockwise

thermocline

transition layer between the warmer mixed water at the surface and the cooler deep water below

normal year

• east to west

• warm, wet, low pressure surface water towards eastern hemisphere

• cold, dry, high pressure surface water upwells in western hemisphere

• steep thermocline

El Niño

• Weakened/reversed trade winds

• Eastward shift of warm water

• Disruption of upwelling

El Niño climate

• western North America: warm water, more precipitation

• western South America: rainfall, flooding

• Australia: droughts

Weakened trade winds El Niño

warm water accumulated in the eastern hemisphere moves back east to the western hemisphere

eastern shift of warm water El Nino

• trade winds weaken or reverse

• warm water to move back east

decreased upwelling El Nino

• suppresses upwelling of cold water

• marine life and global weather patterns impacted

• Flattened thermocline

La Niña

• Stronger trade winds

• Increased upwelling (western hemisphere)

• Shifts in atmospheric circulation

strong trade winds La Niña

• trade winds intensify

• warm surface water moves west (towards eastern hemisphere)

• moves cold water to eastern side of gyre (western hemisphere)

increased upwelling La Niña

• Cold, nutrient-rich water rises along the coast of South America

• cooling the ocean surface

• Thermocline steeper

eastern/western pacific La Nina

• Cooler eastern Pacific (western hemisphere)

• warm western Pacific (eastern hemisphere)

Shifts in atmospheric circulation La Nina

• affect global weather patterns

• strengthen Walker Circulation

La Nina effect on climate

• Colder/wetter winters in the northern U.S. and Canada

• Drier/warmer conditions in the southern U.S

• Warmer/wet conditions in Australia and Indonesia

cold air

• dense

• sinks

• more air molecules exerting pressure on the surface below

• high-pressure

• falls at poles

warm air

• less dense

• rises

• fewer air molecules exerting pressure on the surface below

• low-pressure area at the surface

imbalanced air pressure

high air pressure (compressed) moves to low air pressure (less compressed)

wind

flow of air

low pressure system

• move air in towards them

• create a negative pressure

• attract denser air

• Counterclockwise in Northern hemisphere

• Clockwise in southern hemisphere

high pressure system

• diverge air away from them.

• generally associated with clearer skies and nicer weather

• Clockwise in Northern hemisphere

• Counterclockwise in southern hemisphere

air currents

• different atmospheric circulation cells exist due to the uneven heating of the Earth’s surface by the sun

• movement of air balances temperature differences between the equator and the poles

Uneven Heating of the Earth

• equator receives more radiation than loses heat (surplus), while the poles receive less radiation than gain heat (deflict)

• temperature gradient (warmer at the equator, colder at the poles)

• why climate zones and global wind/ocean currents exist (redistribute heat)

Convection and Air Movement

• Warm air rises at the equator because it is less dense

• cold air sinks at the poles because it is denser

• creates areas of low pressure near the equator (warm air rises) and high pressure near the poles (cold air sinks)

Rising air

spins in right (east) due to Coriolis

hot air

rises in tropics

falling air

spins in left (west) due to Coriolis

horse lattitude

• calm air

• high pressure

Atmospheric Cells order

1. polar cell

2. ferrel cell

3. hadley cell

hadley cell

• Near the equator

• sunlight causes air to rise

• moves poleward at higher altitudes

• air moving towards poles cools and sinks around 30° latitude

• forms a subtropical high-pressure zone

• sinking air then moves back toward the equator at the surface, creating the trade winds

ferrel cell

• mid-latitudes (30° to 60°)

• exists between the Hadley and Polar cells

• indirectly driven by the interaction between the other two cells

• like a gear

• air moves poleward near the surface and equatorward at higher altitudes

polar cell

• Cold, dense air sinks over the poles, creating a polar high- pressure zone.

• cold air moves toward the equator at lower altitudes

• As this air reaches around 60° latitude, it encounters warmer air moving from the mid- latitudes and is forced to rise

• forming an area of low pressure around 60°

• The air then moves back toward the poles at higher altitudes

• driven by cold, high pressure air

jet stream

• a fast-moving ribbon of air

• flows high in the atmosphere

• below the tropopause

• cold and warm air masses meet at high altitudes

types of jet streams

• polar jet streams

• subtropical jet streams