Mid term 1 Flashcards
What is Rayleigh scattering
Is the scattering of blue and violet light radiation. usually in the middle of the day (blue sky). The size of the scattering particles is smaller than the radiation wavelength
what is Mie scattering?
is the scattering of particles the same size as the wavelengths. Typically, the colours are red and green. When the sun rises and sets.
negative feedback loop
Feedback loops decrease the original change. Ex: body hot->sweating->body cold-> body warms
Positive feedback loop
The feedback loop increases the change more than originally Ex: global warming creates water vapour which increases greenhouse gasses which warms the earth more
What is Steady State Equlibrium
values move around a steady average a straight line
What is Dynamic equilibrium
Values of the average may them selves change.( rounded line)
What is metastable Equilibrium
Results from an abrupt change from one stable to another
what is an Open system?
have inputs and outputs. makes matter and energy ex: car fuel, oxygen -> energy and material conversion-> heat energy and exhaust gas
whats a closed system?
self-contained ex: earth has a finite of resources
what is the concept of Axial tilt?
The axis tilt is 66.5 degrees from the plane of the ecliptic. the plane of ecliptic dividing the earth into 2 not the equator.
How does the earths shape effect the sunlight received?
At the poles, the sun is spread over a large area and is further from the sun. At the equator, it is the closest surface to the sun and the rays are impacting a small area
what are the Milankovitch cycles
Milankovitch cycles are long-term changes in Earth’s climate caused by variations in its orbit and tilt. There are three main cycles:
Eccentricity: This cycle involves changes in the shape of Earth’s orbit around the Sun, ranging from more circular to more elliptical, over about 100,000 years.
Axial Tilt (Obliquity): The angle of Earth’s tilt changes between about 22.1 and 24.5 degrees over a cycle of roughly 41,000 years. This tilt affects the severity of the seasons.
Precession: This is the wobble in Earth’s rotation axis, which occurs over a cycle of about 26,000 years. It influences the timing of the seasons in relation to Earth’s position in its orbit.
Together, these cycles affect the distribution and intensity of sunlight on Earth, influencing long-term climate patterns, including the timing of ice ages.
what is short-wave radiation?
Shortwave radiation is a radiant energy produced by the sun with wavelengths ranging from infrared through visible to ultraviolet
What is long-wave radiation?
In climate science, longwave radiation (LWR) is thermal radiation emitted by Earth’s surface, atmosphere, and clouds back into space.
what is albedo?
is the measure of how much light or radiation is reflected by the surface. low albedo sun radiation is absorbed. high albedo sun radiation is reflected
how does smooth or rough surfaces affect the albedo
smooth surfaces have a lower albedo most sun radiation is absorbed. Rough surfaces reflect most sun radiation and has a higher albedo
How does colour affect albedo?
White reflects most radiation while darker colours like black absorb most radiation.
what is the green house effect?
increased amount of greenhouse gasses increases the absorption of heat in the lower atmosphere
How do low thick clouds affect the temperature?
Reflects the sunlight and does not allow much through
how does high thin clouds affect temperature?
allows shortwave radiation through without much reflection. Also does not let longwave radiation through to get out of the atmosphere trapping more heat radiation in the atmosphere.
list the main green house gasses
- Carbon dioxide
- Methane
- Chlorofluorocarbons
- Tropospheric ozone
- Nitrous oxide
- water vapour
where does carbon dioxide come from and how bad is it (
comes from the natural carbon cycle, burning fossil fuels, and the destruction of forests. longest residence time.
where does methane come from and how bad is it
fossil fuel use, farm animal waste, permafrost thawing, sewage and landfill decay and many more. has the worst affect out of green house gases yet has a residence time of 12 years.
where does Nitrous oxide come from and how bad is it
motor vehicles, burning fossil fuels, and nitrogen fertilizers. life residence of 120 years
What are possible future scenarios if climate change continues? and bring up examples
Farming and agriculture experiencing extreme floods or extreme droughts, warmer climates are increasing the duration of warmer seasons which increases risk of insects with diseases such as Lyme disease and malaria.
What is heat (definition)
transfer of kinetic energy between molecules
what is conduction
when heat moves from one object to another object through direct touch EX: burning your feet on hot sand
what is convection
the movement of particles through a substance, transporting their heat energy from hotter areas to cooler in a vertical motion areas EX: ice melting, hot air rising
what is radiation
energy that moves from one place to another in a form that can be described as waves or particles.
EX: heat/light from the sun
what is advection
the same as convection the movement of particles through a substance, transporting their heat energy from hotter areas to cooler but in a horizontal motion
what is sensible heat
can be felt with your senses is the wind cold or warm on your skin
what is latent heat
the energy released or consumed during phase change
when is latent heat released?
Ex: when water phase changes get colder steam->liquid->ice or Steam -> ice
When is latent heat absorbed
when water phase changes to hotter ice->liquid->steam or ice ->steam
what are the 4 principal temperature controls
latitude
Altitude/elevation
cloud cover
water bodies
land and water heating differences
Evaporation: the sea has higher latent heat because it evaporates more than land
Transparency: land is opaque and water is transparent
Specific heat capacity: water has a higher specific heat capacity than land allowing it to hold more heat.
Movement and currents: heat is moved around a spread out through the water
maritime cities VS. Continental
Maritime temperatures: Coastal regions have smaller daily and annual temperature ranges
Continental temperatures: Inland regions have greater daily and annual temperature ranges
What are the processes of the hydro cycle
Water moves among the ocean, atmosphere and land through:
* Evaporation of water from land and mainly ocean creating clouds
* Cloud formation over ocean and land and some come back into new clouds
* Precipitation into the ocean or onto land
* Transpiration on land into cloud formation
* Sinks into soil
* Recharge of groundwater
* Runoff back into the ocean
what is transmission?
Transmission refers to the passage of shortwave and
longwave energy through the atmosphere
what is absorption
Absorption is the assimilation of radiation by
molecules of matter and its conversion from one form
of energy to another( absorption mainly occurs from co2 and water molecules)
what is insolation
The amount of incoming solar energy that makes contact with the earth.
