GEOL 1425 1st Edition Lecture 16Outline of Last LectureI. Moho discontinuityII. Transition zonesOutline of Current Lecture I. The climate SystemII. Different components of the climate systemCurrent Lecture- Changes in atmospheric greenhouse gasses, vegetation cover, clouds, volcanic eruptions, ocean circulation, and ice cover all affect climate.- Components (sub-systems) of the climate system: - Atmosphere: air- Hydrosphere: water- Cryosphere : ice- Geosphere/lithosphere : ground, earth, crust- Biosphere: life- Balance between reflected and absorbed solar energy can change climate over both short and long time scales.- Long term (1,000,000 years) effects on climate:Movement of continentals by plate tectonics changes ocean circulation affects heat transfer from equator to poles, and amount of ice.- Zones defined by temperature changes:- troposphere- Stratosphere- outer atmosphere- What’s the Atmospheric composition?- molecular nitrogen (78%)- oxygen (21%)- other gasses (1%): water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, methane, argon, etc.- annual energy from sun = 342 W / m2These 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.- planet must absorb, reflect and radiate exactly this amount in order to maintain a temperature balance- Planet heats or cools if balance not maintained- The greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, and H2O vapor) absorb the long-wave radiation and retain heat in the atmosphere.- Some of that atmospheric heat is radiated into space, and the rest is radiated back to the surface producing a cyclic exchange.- The term “greenhouse gasses” comes from Glass Greenhouses. Glass is transparent to short wave sunlight radiation (like the atmosphere) but it is opaque to long wave infra-red radiation trapping heat in greenhouse.- greenhouse gasses (water vapor, methane and carbon dioxide) trap solar energy in thelower atmosphere- without these gasses, solar energy would radiate back into space and Earth would freeze- Heat is transferred from surface to atmosphere by
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