Global Circulation Flashcards
Once solar rays enter the atmosphere it moves into this system:
- Heat distribution
- Precipitation and Cloud cover
- Wind/pressure gradients
Latent heat
Involves a state change.
Sensible heat
Moves through the same medium.
Factors in six-factor day model:
- incoming solar radiation
- reflected solar radiation
- surface absorption
- sensible heat transfer (ground, air)
- longwave radiation
- latent heat (evaporation)
Four-factor night model:
- longwave radiation(loss from the ground)
- latent heat transfer (condensation)-dew
- LW incoming from clouds
- sensible heat transfer(air, subsurface supply)
Hydroscopic nuclei
Water vapour condenses on the hygroscopic surfaces. E.g. dust, sulphur dioxide
Seasonality
Depends on how the Eart is tilted.
Summer-tilted towards the sun, so there is more insolation and longer days
Annual temperature variations-Jan, winter is in…
the northern hemisphere
Annual temperature variations-Jan, warm water…
is moving to poles, from the equator.
Annual temperature variations-Jan, the thermal spike is in…o
the Atacama desert, Ethiopia, Northen Horn of Africa and Northen region of Australia.
Annual temperature variations-Jan, Europe is warmer due to…
ocean currents.
How geology affects the thermal spike?
- Rock (sandstone, granite)
- Sand-surface absorption stays close to the surface
- Little vegetation-poor albedo
What affects the thermal spike?
- geology
- orographic shadow (rain shadow)
- specific heat capacity
How does specific heat capacity affect the thermal spike?
It takes 5x amount of energy to heat up the same volume of water as land. Therefore, 5x longer to lose.
-land heats up faster
Annual temperature variations-July-the thermal equator shifts…
upwards towards the North pole. It moves less above the ocean compared to land.
