Atmosphere Flashcards
in total how much solar energy is reflected back into space?
31%
what is the reflection of light off the earth and atmosphere called?
albedo effect
how much solar energy is reflected off clouds?
17%
why do clouds reflect solar energy?
They are white
how much solar energy is reflected off of dust particles in the atmosphere?
8%
how do the dust particle get into the atmosphere?
through volcanic eruptions
what reflects 6% of solar energy?
ice caps, snow, and water
how much of solar energy, in total, is absorbed by the atmosphere?
23%
how much is absorbed by gasses in the atmosphere?
19%
what types of gasses are in the atmosphere?
CO2 and greenhouse gasses
what, other than gasses in the atmosphere, absorbs the 19% of solar energy?
water particles and dust
how much energy is absorbed by clouds?
4%
name 1 other way that energy can be absorbed
dark vegetation in the rain forrest
what does atmospheric circulation do?
moves warm air from the equator to the poles and circulates cold air from the poles towards the equator
why is air deflected to the right in the northern hemisphere and the left in the southern hemisphere?
the Coriolis effect
where are winds directed to in the southern hemisphere?
the left
where are winds directed to in the northern hemisphere?
the right
name the 3 types of cell
Hadley, Ferrel, Polar
where does the Hadley cell form?
the equator
when does the Hadley cell form?
when warm, moist air at the equator rises creating low pressure.
what happens to the warm moist air at the equator? (Hadley)
The air cools in the upper atmosphere and sinks back down at 30* North and South
what winds are associated with the Hadley cell?
The trade winds
What pressure do the Trade winds move from and too?
High to low pressure
Where does the Polar cell form?
The poles
when does the polar cell form?
when cold, dense air at the poles is sinking, creating high pressure.
what happens to the cold dense air? (Polar)
It moves towards 60* North and South. The air then rises at 60* North and South to travel in the upper atmosphere back towards the poles.
why does a Ferrel cell form?
the ferrel cell forms due to frictional drag from the adjacent cells
how does the Ferrel cell form?
the Hadley cell forces air down at 30* and the Polar cell pulls air up at 60*.
What winds are associated with the Ferrel cell?
mid-attitude westerlies
What winds are associated with the Polar cell?
the polar easterlies
