Midterm 1 Flashcards
Difference between the Homosphere and Heterosphere
Homosphere= lower 80km of atmosphere and it’s permanent gases form a constant composition of the dry atmosphere
Heterosphere= above the homos, and it has lighter gases dominant at higher altitudes
What are the 3 dominant permanent gases that make up 99.9% of the Homosphere, and what common one does it not have?
1) nitrogen, N2, 78.1%
2) oxygen, O2, 20.9%
3) argon, Ar, 0.9%
It does not have water vapour, hence dry atmosphere
What are 2 carbon sinks
phytoplankton and forests
What are the 4 other main gases that make up the remaining 0.9% of the homosphere?
carbon dioxide, CO2
methane, CH4
aerosols
ozone, O3
Where is most of the atmospheres water vapour found?
the lower 5km of the homosphere
How is methane, CH4, produced
cattle farts
burning fossil fuels
thawing permafrost
What are variable gases? Give 3 examples
gases that are dispersed throughout the homosphere
water vapour, ozone, aerosols
What are aerosols? What is the normal concentration?
small solid particles & liquid droplets in the air that are formed naturally or by humans
10,000 particles/cm3
What is ozone, O3, how is it formed, what does it do, where is it found, how can it be bad, how do humans increase ozone concentrations?
ozone occurs when 3 oxygen molecules join together
ozone absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the Sun, and converts it into heat energy. Keeps the Earth at a liveable temperature
most ozone is in the stratosphere
ozone in the upper atmosphere= good
ozone in the lower atmosphere= pollutant
motor vehicles exhaust increases ozone concentrations in the lower atmosphere
Weather vs Climate
weather is the condition of the atmosphere at any time or space
climate is the average range of weather over time in an area, in Canada based on last 30 years
Atmospheric Pressure
measure, in millabars (mb), of the weight of the atmosphere’s gases
gas exerts mass and therefore also pressure
What is the atmospheric mass at sea level?
1000 mb
How many g(gas)/cm3(Earth’s surface) = 1 mb
1000 g/cm3 = 1 mb
Troposphere
lowest 12km of the atmosphere
temperatures decrease with increasing altitude
most weather takes place here
thinnest layer yet contains 80% atmospheric mass
What is the environmental lapse rate (ELR)?
decrease in the troposphere’s temperature by 6.5*c/km is ELR
Stratosphere
20-50km of the atmosphere
temperatures increase with attitude until it reaches -2*c
heated by absorption of ultraviolet radiation
19.9% of atmospheric mass
How much of the total atmospheric mass does the troposphere and stratosphere make up?
99.9%
Mesosphere
50-80km of the atmosphere
temperatures decrease with increasing altitude
make sup 99.9% of the remaining 0.1% of atmospheric mass
Thermosphere
80-500km of the atmosphere
temperatures increase with increasing altitude until it reaches >1000*c
very light gases
makes up 0.1% of the remaining 0.1% of atmospheric mass
What are the layers of the atmosphere in order?
1) troposphere
2) stratosphere
3) mesosphere
4) thermosphere
Temperature vs Heat
temperature is the measure of the average speed of atoms & molecules
heat is the energy that is being transferred from an area of high heat energy to low heat energy
Does the thermosphere have low of high temperature & heat?
thermosphere has high temperature but low heat (light gases are sparse and don’t make a lot of contact)
What is the first law of thermodynamics?
energy can be transferred from systems but cannot be created or destroyed
What is the second law of thermodynamics?
heat can never move from a cold mass to a warm mass
What is the third law of thermodynamics?
if all thermal motion of molecules (kinetic energy) could be removed, a state called ‘absolute zero’ would occur (0K or -273.3*c)
What are the 4 forms of energy
potential energy is the energy of a body at rest and can be transform into another type of energy
kinetic energy is energy due to motion
electromagnetic energy is energy stored in electromagnetic waves or radiation
thermal or heat energy is the internal energy of an object due to the kinetic energy of its atoms and/or molecules
What are 3 types of energy transfer?
conduction is the movement of heat through a substance without movement of molecules in the direction of heat transfer
convection is the transfer of heat by mixing a fluid done by movement of particles
radiation is energy emitted by anything with thermal energy (high->low energy areas)
In what latitude is more radiation received than released?
lower latitudes receive more radiation than released
Latitudinal boundary
the boundary between a net excess and a net deficit is at 38*c
During the Northern Hemispheres summer, most areas North of 15* South (15*) have a ______ of energy
surplus
During the Northern Hemispheres winter, most areas South of 15* North (-15*) have a ______ of energy
surplus
Advection vs Convection
advection is a horizontal transfer of energy
global winds 75%
oceanic currents 25%
convection is a vertical transfer of energy
What is the radiation energy balance of the Earth’s surface?
Q=K+L*
K=K^-Kv L=L^-Lv
What is the heat energy balance of the Earth’s surface?
Q*=QH+QE+QG
QH= sensible heat, convection QE= latent heat, convection only QG= sensible heat, conduction
Perihelion
January 3rd, when the Earth is the closest to the Sun at 1.47x10^8km (147 million km)
Aphelion
July 3rd, when the Earth is the furthest from the Sun at 1.52x10^8km (152 million km)
How much closer is the Earth to the sun during the Perihelion, and how much does radiation increase?
Earth is 3% closer and radiation increases by 7%
What degree is the Earth tilted, where is it always facing?
23.5*
always facing Polaris (North star)
Summer Solstice
June 22nd, maximum tilt of the Northern Hemisphere towards the Sun, 16.5 hours of sunlight
Winter Solstice
December 21st, maximum tilt of the Southern Hemisphere towards the Sun, 8 hours of sunlight
What 2 days does all of the Earth have 12 hours of sunlight and darkness?
spring equinox, March 21st
autumnal equinox, September 21st
Where can you see the sun 90* directly above you?
at a latitude, at 23.5* North or South
Tropic of Cancer
23.5* North
Tropic of Capricorn
23.5* South or -23.5* South
Solar declination
the latitudinal position where the sun is at 90*
Solar noon
a time in the day when the sun is at it’s peak height
What is the solar declination for tropic of cancer?
23.5* North
What is the solar declination for tropic of capricorn?
-23.5* South
How do you measure the solar angle?
solar angle= [90-LAT]-DLN
LAT= latitude of interest * DLN= solar declination *
Why does beam spreading occur?
an increase in surface area that insolation has to cover
Insolation
incoming solar radiation
Albedo
% of insolation reflected back by an object
Scattering
when an object reflects insolation as various weaker beams of radiation in different directions
What is the Earth’s average input of shortwave radiation to the atmosphere
362 W/m2
Black body
emits 100% of radiation, perfect absorber
What is the Stefan Boltzmann Law and what does it calculate?
calculates the radiation energy, in W/m2, of the surface of a body
E=emissivity(5.67x10^-8)T(K)^4
Emissivity
the ratio of energy radiated by a given grey body in relation to a black body (100%)
What is Wien’s Displacement Law and what does it calculate?
calculates the peak wavelength of emission in um
~max=2898/T(K)
What is the wavelength for long and short wave radiation
long wave radiation >3 um
short wave radiation <3 um
What is the solar constant?
1367 W/m2
Direction radiation
insolation that directly reaches the Earth’s surface
Diffuse radiation
insolation that reaches the surface after being scattered by atmospheric gases (aerosols and clouds)
Rayleigh scattering
scattering agents (aerosols) that scatter incoming solar radiation about 1 tenth of the size of the insolation wavelength
What is the Q*radiation of the Earth’s surface and the atmosphere
Earth’s surface: +91 W/m2 (surplus)
Atmosphere: -91 W/m2 (deficit)
The Earth’s surface and atmosphere has an energy imbalance but it must have an energy balance, how does it get an energy balance?
The +91 W/m2 gets converted into heat energy and moves from the surface into the atmosphere, due to the 2nd law of thermodynamics where energy moves from high energy areas to low energy areas
Atmospheric beam depletion
reduction in the amount of insolation as it travels through the atmosphere
What are the 6 influences on temperature
- latitude
- altitude & elevation
- atmospheric circulation
- contrast between land & water
- warm & cold oceans currents
- local variations
Diurnal Maximum
minimum temperature ranges tend to be greater for surfaces with higher elevation
Heat Capacity
the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1*c
Continentality
the effect of an inland location that favours greater temperature extremes (ex. Winnipeg)
How do you convert temperature in *f to *c?
Tc=(5/9)x(Tf-32)
How do you convert temperature in *c to *f?
Tf=((9/5)xTc)+32
How many joules/second are in 1 watt?
1 joule/second = 1 watt