Chapter 3 - Temperature Flashcards
What are the main factors to determine seasonal temperature variations?
- latitude 2. land and water distribution 3. Ocean currents 4. Elevation
Explain how incoming energy and outgoing energy regulate the daily variation in air temperature.
The incoming energy from the sun makes it hot.
The outgoing energy from the surface cools it down. Outgoing energy is also “trapped” by clouds and green-house gases.
Why is the daily range of temperature normally greater in dry regions than humid regions?
temperature range is greater in dry regions due to the lack of cloud cover.
Why is the daily range of temperature normally greater on clear days than on cloudy days?
lack of cloud cover allows for stronger solar radiation to hit the surface during the day and more infrared radiation to escape at night
During the winter, white frost can form on the ground when the minimum thermometer in an instrument shelter indicates a low temperature above freezing. Explain.
During the winter strong radiation inversions can occur, which means that the surface air is colder than the air above. Therefore the surface air could be below freezing and produce frost, while the air above is above freezing.
Someone says “The air temperature today measured 99 F in the sun!”. Why does this statement have no meaning?
Beacuse thermometers (liquid) absorb the solar energy and heat up until equilibrium is reached, and will therefore show much higher temperature than it actually is.
At the top of earth’s atmosphere during the early summer (Northern hemisphere), above what laltitude would you expect to receive the most solar radiation in one day? Where would you receive most solar radiation at the surface?
most solar radiation: 90N (north pole).
most radiation surface: 30N
This because of the angle that the sun hits the sun which means that the radiations have to travel trough a lot of particles preventing some of the radiation reaching the ground as well as a lot of clouds in the polar regions during the summers.
If the poles have 24 hours of sunlight during the summer, why is the average summer temperature there still below 0F?
The sun hits the northern pole areas at a great angle which means that the sun radiation have to travel trough a thick layer of particles which leads to only a small amount of the radiation finally hitting the earths surface. During the summer there are also a great amount of clouds in the polar areas preventing the solar radiation hitting the ground. The poles have a lot of snow which has a high albedo- high reflectivity.
