Atmospheric Processes Flashcards
What is the global energy balance?
- The balance between incoming radiation and outgoing terrestrial radiation.
- There is a surplus at tropics and a deficit at the poles
- Balance is corrected by heat transfers
Name the two types of heat transfer
Vertical heat transfer
Horizontal heat transfer
What are the four types of vertical heat transfer?
Latent
Convection
Conduction
Radiation
How does latent work?
Heat causes evaporation and is stored in the water vapour. As the air rises it condenses and stored latent heat is released
How does convection work?
Particles of liquid and gas with heat in them transfer this heat to cooler particles.
How does conduction work?
Heat is transferred to cool surfaces when in contact with warm surfaces.
How does radiation work?
The surface absorbs insolation, converts it into heat and radiates the energy back into space.
What are the two types of horizontal heat transfer?
Wind
Ocean currents
How does wind transfer work?
Wind systems move heat towards poles, for example, heat in the Caribbean is moved towards the UK and condenses as rain
How do ocean currents transfer heat?
Ocean currents move from the equator towards the poles carrying warm water (for example the North Atlantic Drift keeps the North Atlantic warmer) and carries cold water from the poles towards to the equator (for example the Labrador Current moves Arctic waters to the Canadian East Coast and keeps it cooler.
What factors control wind speed and direction?
The Pressure Gradient Force
The Coriolis Force
Friction
How does The Pressure Gradient Force control wind speed?
The closer together isobars are the steeper the gradient and therefore the stronger the winds
How does The Pressure Gradient Force control wind direction?
Wind moves from high to low pressure
How does The Coriolis Force control wind speed?
It doesn’t
How does the Coriolis Force control wind direction?
In the Northern Hemisphere winds are deflected to the right
In the Southern Hemisphere winds are deflected to the left
The intensity increases towards the poles
