GEOL 1425 1st Edition Lecture 17Outline of Last LectureI. The climate SystemII. Different components of the climate systemOutline of Current Lecture I. Atmosphere componentII. Geology componentIII. feedbackCurrent Lecture- Water vapor is greenhouse gas and absorbs infrared radiation trapping heat.- Clouds reflect short wave solar radiation back into space to cool atmosphere.- Rain transfers heat from atmosphere back to hydrosphere also cooling the atmosphere.- Solar radiation is more intense at the equator than the poles.- This differential heating drives convection cells causing winds that transfer heat from equator toward the poles.- The Hadley cells move heat to the mid latitudes where another convection cell transfers heat further north.- Cold polar air moves toward lower latitudes where it warms.- Surface ocean currents are produced by wind, driven by the atmospheric convection cells- The trade winds and westerlies move ocean surface water producing large gyres that also transfer heat from equator to poles- Ice reflects solar energy back into space and tends to cool the Earth.- Geosphere component: land surface absorbs solar energy and radiates it back into atmosphere where it is adsorbed by greenhouse gasses, topography affects wind and rain patterns & volcanism affects atmospheric dust and CO2 levels- Topography affects local wind and rain patterns:- Air forced up by mountains cools and dumps water as precipitation.- Air moves down on other side, heats up and dry’s the land producing deserts.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.- Volcanism affects atmospheric dust and CO2 levels: Dust reflects solar energy and tends to cool the climate over the short term (5-10 years).- The diagram is complicated, but most of the solar heat reaching the biosphere is reflected, transpired and respired back into atmosphere.- The biomass extracts carbon from atmosphere, but most of that carbon is oxidized by microbes, herbivores and predators and put back into the atmosphere. Only organic carbon buried in sediment is permanently removed from the atmosphere – until we dig it up and burn it!- Burning fossil fuels (Oil, Gas, Coal) is putting all that buried carbon from the biosphere back into the atmosphere- positive feedback – increase in input causes additional increase in input – runaway microphone-amplifier-speaker-microphone screech – a “vicious cycle”.- negative feedback – increase in input causes decrease in further input – Thermostats: Increase in heat input triggers thermostat which decreases heat