GEOG1710 1st Edition Lecture 3 Outline of Previous Lecture I Characteristics of Geography II Location and Place III Sensors IV Characteristics of Earth Systems V Positive Feedback and Negative Feedback Outline of Current Lecture I The Earth s Wobble II Air and Rain III Albedo and Reflection Current Lecture Why does the Earth wobble Eccentricity Obliquity tilt 24 degrees or 22 degrees Procession Natural Sources Volcanoes fires plants soils ocean Allergies other things in the air Anthropogenic Sources Humans Power plants and cars 90 sulfur dioxide emissions Cars nitrogen dioxide emissions Air concentrations are effected by geographic distribution of power plant sulfur dioxide emissions Emissions concentration These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Meteorology wind Topography relief What goes up must come down Rain dust etc Acid rain industrial pollution becomes rain Acidity and pH 1 is most acidic lemon juice 7 neutral milk 14 basic lye Clean Air Act Passed by US congress in 1970 updated in 1977 1990 regulated our emissions Made business sense o Direct cost 523 billion o Direct benefit 5 6 to 4 9 trillion o Net benefit 21 7 trillion dollars Made Health Sense o 206 000 fewer deaths by 1990 Made environmental sense o It worked Albedo and Reflection Albedo property reflectivity brightness of a surface 100 total reflection high albedo 0 no reflection total absorption low albedo Influenced by color texture and sun Reflection process radiation goes back to space unchanged o Wavelength is not changed just direction 2 types Direct and Diffuse o Direct reflection ex water or a mirror Land surface albedo concrete high asphalt low Light surfaces have higher albedo while dark surfaces have lower albedo Grasslands have a smooth texture and a higher albedo Forests have rough textures and a lower albedo Albedo reflected on bodies of water depending on the angle of the sun Clouds reflect radiation Aerosols and Albedo Particles suspended in Air o Sea salt dust ash o reflect radiation and cool the Earth Many aerosols reflect light Scattering process redirection of radiation without altering wavelength Diffuse Reflection Rayleigh Scattering why the sky is blue Shorter wavelengths scattered more than long wavelengths o Blue is scattered in all directions making the sky blue
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