Temperature and Heating

Question 1

What is Temperature

Answer 1

Measure of heat energy associated with movement of molecules

Question 2

Relationship between weather and temperature

Answer 2

Drives development of all forms of weather because it creates pressure differences.

Question 3

How is temperature measured

Answer 3

Stevenson screen for surface air temp

Radiosonde by ballon for atmospheric temp

Question 4

What is albedo

Answer 4

Reflectivity rate with regards to radiation. High albedo reflect more radiation.
Light colours have high albedo.

Question 5

Specific heat capacity

Answer 5

Amount of energy needed to change a substances temperature by a specific amount.
Specified in joules/kelvin.
Land warmer than sea as water takes longer to warm up compared to land.

Question 6

Insolation

Answer 6

Amount of radiation which reaches earths surface. Some reflect remainder absorbed. Surface warms up.
Amount of insolation dependent on time of day and season.

Question 7

Terrestrial Radiation

Answer 7

Radiation from the earth. Less intense than solar but longer wavelength. Longer wavelength more easily absorbed by gases than short wave.
Primarily terrestrial radiation that heats atmosphere.

Question 8

Conduction

Answer 8

Transfer of hear by contact between 2 substances.

Atmosphere only physical contact with earth. Air poor conductor of heat so conduction only upto bottom thousand feet.

Question 9

What affects Insolation

Answer 9

Earths surface reflectivity (albedo)
Angle at which radiation is received. Lower angle means radiation spreads over much wider area.
Curvature of earth.

Question 10

Diurnal Variations

Answer 10

Variation of surface air temperature over 24hrs. Subject to amount of radiation received by and released by earth
Over land variation greater than sea. Wind reduces variation because it mixes air.

Question 11

Cloud cover

Answer 11

Reduces diurnal variation of temperature. Reflect a greater proportion of solar radiation. Cooler maximum surface temperature. More clouds cooler maximum surface temperature.
However as clouds contain water vapour and water vapour is greenhouse gas absorb earths radiation and re radiate back to earth.

Question 12

Ground inversion

Answer 12

Air is cooled by contact with a colder surface until it becomes cooler than the overlying atmosphere. Happens at night when the ground cools off by radiation. Under right conditions with little to no cloud or wind temperature at surface can decrease enough to form fog called condensation fog.

Question 13

Subsidence inversion

Answer 13

Result of air gradually sinking over a wide area. As air defends it is compressed by increasing pressure of lower atmosphere. Air warms a adiabatically. However ther is air immediately above the surface that has not descended and has not been warmed this way. Inversion formed

Question 14

Turbulence inversions

Answer 14

Mixing of air changes rates at which it warms and cools relative to static environmental rate. Inversion occurs few thousand feet AGL

Question 15

Frontal Inversions

Answer 15

Form at the boundaries between warm and colder fronts. Warm air as it is less denser goes above cold air creating inversion.

Question 16

Valley Inversion

Answer 16

During night air is cooled by land and becomes denser. Flows down sloping terrain forming katabatic wind.
Air in the valley bottom much colder than air above it. Can persist for long periods.

Question 17

What is an Inversion

Answer 17

An inversion describes a temperature increase with altitude.