Exam is Friday the 13 Good luck th from 3 00 to 5 00 pm Week 8 9 Earth s Energy Balance Chapter 3 in textbook Understand which wavelengths of light Earth emits and which wavelengths the Sun emits Earth emits longwave radiation Thermal infrared Energy Sun shortwave radiation UV Visible and Near infrared Emits Outputs Energy Inputs Know the difference between the scattering reflection and refraction of light Scattering shorter wavelength light scattered by smaller particles it describes the phenomenon of gas molecules redirecting radiation changing the direction of the lights movement without altering the wavelengths It represents 7 of earth s reflectivity albedo The shorter the wavelength the greater the scattering the longer the wavelength the lesser the scattering Refraction A change in direction of isolation due to a change in its transmission medium The transition of insolation entering the atmosphere can change the insolation speed which also shifts its direction and causes the bending action of refraction Reflection A portion of arriving energy bounces directly back into space without being absorbed or performing any work Albedo is the reflective quality or intrinsic brightness of a surface Be able to define the term albedo and know which surfaces have higher lower albedo values Albedo Earths reflectivity Earths average is 31 Snow reflects 80 95 Asphalt black top 5 10 sidenote Average Net Radiation is 0 at surface Net radiation SW incoming SW out Insolation Albedo reflected at surface Clouds GHGs L W radiation emitted from surface LW in LW out Understand the difference between the cloud greenhouse forcing and the cloud albedo forcing Cloud greenhouse forcing It is an increase in greenhouse warming caused by clouds Longwave radiation from Earth is emitted but cloud makes LW radiation come back to Earth mostly heating earth Cloud Albedo forcing refers to an increase in albedo caused by clouds Shortwave radiation from sun cloud reflects light back into atmosphere little reaches the ground shortwave reflection Notes Factors influencing temperature latitude altitude elevation cloud cover land water heating differences Cloud cover at night as clouds increase temperature increases or remains moderate instead of steadily decreasing with no cloud cover Test question The most extensive chain of barrier islands in the world is along the Atlantic and gulf coasts of N America Be able to explain heat transfer via conduction convection and advection Conduction is the molecule to molecule transfer of heat energy as it diffuses through the substance As molecules warm their vibration increases causing collisions that produce motion in neighboring molecules thus transferring heat from warmer to cooler materials Convection gases and liquids also transfer energy by movements of convection when physical mixing involves a strong vertical motion Advection when horizontal motion dominates Understand the greenhouse effect and know which gases cause it Includes Carbon Dioxide water vapor methane nitrous oxide and CFCs Shortwave radiation remember this is from sun NOT absorbed by GHG only at surface and then converted to Longwave radiation some LW radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere and readmitted back to earth LW emitted from earth radiation is absorbed by GHG in other words GHG absorbs thermal longwave radiation Know the difference between temperature and heat Temperature is a measure of what Temperature A measure of the average kinetic energy of individual molecules in matter Heat A form of energy that flows from one object to another as a of temperature differences result Be familiar with the factors that influence temperature Latitude Altitude Elevation Cloud Cover Land Water heating differences Midterm Week 11 Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulations Chapter 4 in textbook Know the difference between an easterly and westerly wind from the east vs from the west Westerlies flows from west to east Think of U S Easterlies flows from east to west Equatorial region Know the four forces that influence horizontal winds Gravity Gravity equally compresses the atmosphere worldwide with the density decreasing as altitude increases Pressure gradient force Drives air from areas of higher barometric pressure more dense to areas of lower barometric pressure less dense air causing wind Coriolis effect a deflective force makes the wind that travels in a straight path appear to be deflected in rotation to the earths rotating surface Friction drags on the wind as it moves across surfaces decreases with height about the surface Know the difference between surface convergence and surface divergence and which is associated with high vs low pressure High Pressure has surface divergence going outward Low pressure has surface convergence going inward also related to hurricanes storms Understand the pressure gradient force From High to Low Drives air from areas of higher barometric pressure more dense to areas of lower barometric pressure less dense air causing wind Without a pressure gradient force there would be no wind Be familiar with the geostrophic wind where it occurs which forces are acting etc It is wind that would result from an exact balance between the Coriolis force and the pressure gradient force Pressure gradient coriolis forces upper level winds Earths rotation adds the Coriolis force and a twist to air movements High and Low pressure areas develop rotary motion and wind flowing between high and lows flows parallel to isobars Understand the difference between surface winds and the geostrophic wind Geostropic winds are upper level winds They are the pressure gradient Coriolis forces upper level winds while surface winds happen at the surface Be familiar with the general circulation of the atmosphere The circulation of wind in the atmosphere is driven by the rotation of the earth and the incoming energy from the sun Wind circulates in each hemisphere in three distinct cells which help transport energy and heat from the equator to the poles The winds are driven by the energy from the sun at the surface as warm air rises and colder air sinks QuickTime and a decompressor are needed to see this picture What is the ITCZ where is it located what kind of weather is associated with it etc Intertropical convergence zone The combination of heating and convergence forces air aloft and forms the ITCZ winds along the equator Identified by bands of clouds associated with the convergence of The trade winds converge in the