Earth's Energy Flashcards
Ozone in Stratosphere (CFC)
Chlorofluorocarbons + Ultra Violet -> Chlorine
- from fridges, propellants
- 1 molecule Cl destroys thousands of Ozone
Natural Pollutants
- volcanoes
- plants (decaying and alive)
- forest fires
- ocean
- soil
Anthropogenic Pollutants
- vehicle emissions (CO, carbon monoxide)
- fertilizers (nitrogen oxides)
Atmosphere and Energy: what it removes and how
- breaks incoming shortwave electromagnetic radiation
- removes through absorption and scattering by gases, water vapor and aerosols
Reflection
-portion of arriving radiation which bounces right back from Earth to space
albedo
-ratio of reflected solar radiation to the incident solar radiation
Earth’s average albedo
around 30%
scattering
atmospheric gases, dust, clouds, and water vapor change the direction of waves without altering the wavelength
Transmission
-passage of short and long wave energy THROUGH atmosphere/water
Absorption
-the assimilation of short and long waves
Greenhouse gases (examples and effects)
- Carbon Dioxide , Nitrous oxide, water vapor, methane
- trap heat from escaping
Clouds and Waves
- SW are reflected and scattered
- LW are absorbed and re-radiated
heat
form of kinetic energy between molecules due to temperature difference
sensible heat
can be felt
latent heat
results from phase changes
convection
energy transffered through movement of molecules
radiation
energy transferred through electromagnetic waves
conduction
energy that moves from molecule to molecule
convection and advection (directionally)
- vertically
- horizontally
Eo equation involving So and amount of energy hitting sphere
So/4
Albedo: Angle, surface, texture
- less angle, higher albedo
- lighter, higher albedo
- smoother, higher albedo
blackbody
perfectly absorbs all received energy and radiates all
Stefan Boltzman E equation
E= sigma T^4
Emissivity
ratio of energy radiated from surface, to that of a perfect emitter (blackbody) at same conditions
whitebody and blackbody emissivity
whitebody: 0
blackbody: 1
Outgoing thermal energy, including emissivity
E = epsilon*sigma T^4
