AOSC200 Final Exam ReviewThe carbon dioxide Cycle-Sources- volcanoes, plant/animal respiration, plant decay, burning of fossil fuels and deforestationSinks- plant photosynthesis, oceans, carbonates and biomassThe hydrologic cycle:- Water is everywhere, in oceans, glaciers, rivers, lakes, the atmosphere, soil and living tissue- The continuous exchange of water amongst the “reservoirs”, the cycle is powered by the energy from the sun- Evaporation and Transpiration—Condensation and precipitationWays energy is transferred in the atmosphere: All energy comes from the sun- Conduction- the process of heat transfer from molecule to molecule, requires contact Ex: we touch something to see if its hot or cold—the ability of a substance to conduct heat by molecular motions is its thermal conductivity- Convection- the process of transferring energy vertically, strong over deserts in the summer dueto warming of sand, inefficient in the poles due to air being cooler that the air above- Advection- horizontal transport of energy in the atmosphere, warm advection- warm air replaces cooler air and cold advection the opposite.- Latent heating- heat absorbed or released per unit mass when water changes phasesWhy we have seasons:The earths tilt or angle of inclination causes seasons, when the earth orbits around the sun in an ellipse shape, the distribution of sunlight changes on the surface at a given latitude- Solstice- suns rays strike the equator at an angle of 23.5 degrees on June 21 and December 21- Equinox- suns rays strike the equator at an angle of 90degrees March 21 and September 22- Solar Zenith Angle- angle at which the suns energy strikes a particular location on earth; larger angle means more solar energy is distributed over a larger area- The further poleward you travel, the more daylight you have during the summer and the fewer hours in winterGreenhouse Effect- caused by the Earths surface being heated by shortwave and longwave absorption emitted by gases such as water vapor and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere- Increased Carbon dioxide produces infrared energy being absorbed which warms the atmosphere, the atmosphere will then emit more longwave energy warming Earths surface- Greenhouse gases are transparent to solar energy and absorb terrestrial energy and warm the atmosphereDaily mean temperature is determined by:- the average of 24 hourly measurements- average of the max and min temperatures for the day- daily temp range is the difference between the max and min temperatures- monthly mean temp is obtained from the average of the daily mean for the month- annual mean temp is the average of the monthly means- annual temp range is the difference between the coldest monthly mean and the warmest monthly mean5 factors that effect temperature:- Latitude- angle of inclination affects incoming solar radiation and causes the seasonal cycle- Surface Type- atmosphere is heated by the Earth’s surface, surface type plays an important role in the surface air temp, albedo- Elevation and Aspect- higher altitude generally has colder temperatures because air is less denseand fewer molecules to absorb incoming solar radiationo Aspect- south facing slopes receive more solar energy and are warmer than north facingslopes- Large bodies of water- act to thermally stabilize temp of surrounding area- Cloud Cover- clouds reflect and absorb solar energy, reduce solar radiation at the surface causing daytime cooling and have a warming effect when emitting longwave radiation toward the surfaceDaily temperature at the beginning of the day with no solar radiation, temp is controlled by net thermal radiation leaving the surface—ground coolsWhen the sun comes up—solar radiation is absorbed and the ground increasesIn general, incoming solar energy is more than outgoing thermal energy; ground heats and continues to heat until solar energy= outgoing thermalRelative Humidity- actual amount of water vapor in the air over the amount of water vapor required for saturation- Changes as daily temperature changes, changes when air moves vertically in the atmosphere- When relative humidity is 100% air is totally saturated with water vapor creating a possibility of rain, must be 100% where the clouds are forming but relative humidity near the ground could be less- Adding water vapor or cooling the air or both increases relative humidity- When removing water vapor, warming the air or both decrease relative humidity- In morning temperature is low, saturation vapor pressure is small and relative humidity is large- In afternoon temperature is high, saturation vapor pressure is high, relative humidity is lowAdiabatic- a rising particle always expands and as it expands it cools—adiabatic process- no heat energy is lost or gained by particle- The rate of cooling with altitude due to this process is called the dry adiabatic lapse rate- As the parcel rises an altitude will be reached when the water vapor condenses, releases latent heat of condensation- Lapse Rate is the rate at which the real atmosphere falls off with altitude—average value is 6.5 degrees C- Absolutely stable atmosphere- environment lapse rate much less than 10 degrees C/km- Absolutely unstable atmosphere- environmental lapse rate greater than 10 degrees C/kmClouds are formed when air is cooled and the temperature equals the dew point (100% humidity) resulting in condensation, which produces clouds- Clouds are composed of particles of liquid water called cloud droplets and particles of ice called ice crystalsCurvature Effect- refers to even if air is saturated on a flat surface, it may be unsaturated on a curved surfaceSupersaturation- relative humidity can be above 100% without condensationNucleation- droplets usually form around particles- condensation nucleiLifting Mechanism of Clouds-- Orographic- when air cannot go through a mountain and it flows over- Frontal- when less dense air is forced to rise over cooler, denser air as the weather fronts move- Convection- when solar energy passes through the atmosphere and heats the surface, where the air becomes less dense than the air around it making it rise- Convergence- when air near the surface flows together and is pushed upward when it is squeezed togetherPrecipitation-- Rain- drops of water bigger that 0.5 mm in diameter, when temps are above freezing- Snow- ice crystals, if air is cold (low humidity) we get fluffy snow, temps below freezing the whole way down to the ground- Freezing Rain-