Global Energy Budgets Flashcards
What is the Global Energy Budget?
It refers to the balance of incoming and outgoing energy in the Earth’s atmosphere.
How does net radiation vary by latitude?
Equatorial regions have a radiation surplus, while polar regions have a radiation deficit.
What is the net radiation in Central Africa?
Around +250 Wm-2.
What is the net radiation at the North Pole?
Around -250 Wm-2.
Why does the Sahara Desert have low net radiation?
Due to high sand reflectivity and lack of clouds.
What role do winds and ocean currents play in heat distribution?
They move heat from hotter areas to colder areas, helping to balance global temperatures.
What percentage of heat surplus is transported by wind and ocean currents?
80% by wind and 20% by ocean currents.
What is the latitude of the Equator?
0° latitude.
How does latitude affect temperatures?
Insolation is stronger near the equator due to shorter atmospheric travel and concentrated rays.
What is the axial tilt of the Earth?
23.5°.
What is the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)?
A region where trade winds converge, leading to significant rainfall.
How does the ITCZ affect monsoons?
It migrates with the sun, bringing heavy rainfall during the summer months.
What is the Coriolis Effect?
The deflection of moving bodies due to Earth’s rotation, causing winds to turn right in the northern hemisphere and left in the southern hemisphere.
What are Geostrophic Winds?
Winds that result from a balance between the pressure gradient force and the Coriolis force.
What are Jet Streams?
Strong winds in the upper atmosphere that blow in line with isobars, caused by temperature differences.
What is the Gulf Stream?
A warm ocean current that influences the climate of the UK.
What is the significance of the Younger Dryas?
It caused the Gulf Stream to shut down, leading to a mini ice age in Europe.
What is the specific heat capacity of water?
4181 J/kg/°C.
What causes sea breezes during the day?
Warm air rises over the beach, creating low pressure, while cooler ocean air moves in to replace it.
What happens to sea breezes at night?
The sea remains warmer, causing air to rise and creating low pressure over the ocean, leading to breezes from land to sea.
How does global warming affect monsoons in India?
It increases extreme rain days and overall precipitation during monsoons.
What is the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (Amoc)?
A system of ocean currents that distributes heat and nutrients from the tropics to the Arctic.
What impact does Amoc collapse have?
It could cause significant climate changes, including rising sea levels and altered weather patterns.
What are dry monsoons?
Periods of dry conditions caused by high pressure in Central Asia during the northern hemisphere winter.
What are wet monsoons?
Moist air leading to substantial rainfall, particularly on the west coast of India.
What are Rossby Waves?
Meanders in the jet stream that can spawn storm systems and affect weather patterns.
What do air masses consist of?
Large bodies of air with uniform temperature, humidity, and lapse rate.
What is the main source of cold air in the Northern Hemisphere?
The East, particularly from Central Russia.
What is the effect of atmospheric particles on monsoons?
They can disrupt the sequence of the monsoon, causing premature rains.
