Global Climate Flashcards
Weather
Weather is a snapshot of day-to-day changes in factors such as temperature, rain and wind.
Weather helps you decide what to wear or activity to do on a day-to-day basis.
Climate
Climate is concerned with longer periods of time and involves the collection and analysis of data over decades.
Climate is concerned with longer periods of time and involves the collection and analysis of data over decades.
Factors Affecting climate
Energy Absorption
Ocean Currents
Energy Absorption
How much energy from the sun is absorbed into the surface of the earth.
Includes several factors:
Earth’s Orbit
Earth’s Spherical shape
Albedo effect
The Earths Orbit
Earth’s orbit around the sun is not spherical but instead elliptical, so at one point the Earth is closer to the sun and at other times the Earth is further away from the sun.
This varies the radiation in the atmosphere by 3.5%.
Earth’s Spherical shape
Equator has a warmer climate compared to the two poles of Earth.
This is because the radiation from the sun reaches Earth has the same energy whether it hits the equator or the poles.
At the poles, the energy isspread over a larger area and at the equator, the energy is concentrated in a smaller area.
Albedo Effect
Determines the amount of light reflected by different surfaces.
Difference in reflective properties of surfaces is called the Albedo effect.
Measured from 0-1
0= least reflective very black surface
1 = most reflective, very white surface
Ice and snow reflect up to 90% of sunlight Sandy deserts reflect 45%, 20% green fields, 8% for brown earth and 3.5% oceans.
Ocean Currents
Movement in water in oceans distribute the heat from the sun.
Water in the ocean differs in salinity, and temperature, depending on the location.
These differences cause deep current oceans, which is called thermoahline circulation
Ocean Currents Continued
At poles water get frozen due to the cold temperature forming ice.
When the water, salt is left behind, causing seawater to become saltier.
As seawater gets saltier it increases the eaters density causing it sink.
At this point the warmer water is brought up to replace the cold denser water.
And then this cycle repeats as the warm water becomes colds, turns into ice releases the salt content and due to an increase in density sinks and switches with new hot water.
Corriolis Effect
Coriolis effect is the influence of humans on the earths rotation on the direction of air or water movement.
The rotation from the earth causes the path of the wind to deviate from the path you would expect it to take .
Coriolis effects occurs due to different parts of the earth moving at different speeds and differences in air pressure.
