Horizontal And Vertical Heat Transfers Flashcards
Two ways in which the imbalance between deficit and surplus areas is restored
Vertical and horizontal heat transfers
Is energy coming in and being lost equal
Yes
If energy coming in and being lost wasn’t equal what would happen
The earth would either heat up or cool down
Is the global energy balance an open system
Yes
Why does horizontal and vertical heat transfers take place
So that the tropics don’t overheat and the poles don’t become too cold
What are the three vertical heat transfers
Radiation conduction and convection
What is radiation
Energy absorbed by clouds is then radiated out into the atmosphere by long wave radiation
What is conduction
Heat is passed from one layer of air molecules to the next by physical contact
What is convection
Warm air rises, cools and falls back to the surface where it is warmed and the process begins again
What are the two horizontal heat transfers
Ocean currents and surface winds
What % of horizontal heat transfer is surface winds responsible for
70%
What % of horizontal heat transfer is ocean currents responsible for
30%
What are 3 types of surface winds
Jet streams, hurricanes and depressions
What are surface winds
Movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure (tropical and prevailing westerlies)
What are the 2 examples of ocean currents
Labrador current and the North Atlantic Drift
