Temperature Flashcards
How might a volcanic eruption affect the earth’s radiation budget?
Gases and dust reflect, scatter, AND absorb insolation
What is the unusual net effect from volcanic eruptions?
- Tropospheric cooling
- Stratospheric heating
- Warm winter/cool summer
What happened in 1816, and what is this year known as?
“The Year Without a Summer”. It is when temperatures lowered by ~1°F globally, Cold, moist weather N Hemi.
How did 1816 affect certain places and humans?
New England: frosts and snow in June, July, August killing crops—severe food shortages.
Europe: severe food shortages and rioting, violencetyphus epidemic 1816-17 killed 200,000.
Bengal, India: cholera outbreak spread throughout world 1816-17.
What is a “Nuclear Winter” and who coined this term?
A global climate condition that might be possible due to nuclear war (or accidents!). Carl Sagan coin this term.
How could a nuclear winter affect the earth?
- Fires and Smoke reaching upper ATM and blown around for months
- Darkness—blocking insolation
- Rapid cooling 1-5°C(Other estimates even higher than Sagan’s! 11-22 °C)
What are the theories for what caused the dinosaurs to go extinct?
- Asteroid impact
2. Volcano - greenhouse theory
What is the asteroid impact theory?
- Dust, debris in ATM
- Huge fires, more debris it ATM
- Proposed effects: At first, cooling, Later, warming
What is the evidence of giant asteroid strikes?
At the K-T boundary there is lots of Iridium and lots of carbon (charcoal) deposits
What is the volcano - greenhouse theory?
Volcanoes caused a carbon cycle perturbation.
- in the atmosphere, there was a co2 buildup, climatic warming, and climate zones shift
- in the hydrosphere and lithosphere, the sea levels rise, ocean chemicals change, sedimentation changes, and polar ice melts
- in the biosphere, there is ecological instability, animal and plant migration, tropical diseases expand range, hypothermia
What is a compromise between these two theories?
Asteroid may have caused volcanic activity, combination of effects
What is temperature?
A measure of sensible heat, created by molecular motion
What is Air Temperature?
Air Temperature is measured by thermometer 1.0 m above ground. Must be sheltered from sun!
Which is more important for the distribution of plants averages or extremes?
Extremes are often limiting factors for crops and other plants, animals, and organisms
What does dirunal mean?
Daily
What is the warmest and coldest time of day?
Warmest: 4pm
Coldest: 6am
What is temperature lag?
High point of insolation (shortwaves) crosses outgoing earth energy (longwaves) = Max Temp
Does temperature lag occur in annual temperature too?
Yes!
What are the 5 major controls of temperature?
- Latitude
- Elevation
- Land and water differences
- Ocean currents
- Prevailing winds/ geographic position
How does latitude control temperature?
Latitude–influences insolation by sun angle and daylength–generally warmer at low latitudes, cooler at high latitudes.
How does elevation control temperature?
Elevation –temp decreases ~3.5 ºF/1000 ft.
At high elevations air is thinner (less dense) = less molecular activity
How does land and water control temperature and how are they different?
Land heats up and cools down faster than large water bodies.
What is the specific heat of water?
The amount of heat needed to raise 1 gram substance, 1º C
What is the specific heat of water compared to land?
Water is 3x that of land
What is the transparency of water?
It is when insolation penetrates the water, and distributes heat over a large area
Why is water harder to heat than land?
- water mixes - circulates heat NRG downward. this keeps temperature consistent
- water evaporates (cooling process) - keeps water cooler on hot days and seasons
What are the two important rules about water and land?
- Temperare extremes are greater over land than water
2. Marine influence moderates temperature
How do ocean currents control temperature?
The temperature of bodies of water have strong influence, especially cool water in summer.
How do prevailing winds/ geographic position control temperature?
Windward side of mountains and the leeward side can control temperature
What is temperature like in the tropics?
The temperature range is greater in one day than over the year (e.g., from summer to winder). There is very little season temperature variation!
