week 2 - climate systems

Question 1

define the climate system

Answer 1

refers to an interactive system consisting o the atmosphere, hyrosphere, cryosphere, land surface and the biosphere
- most unstable and rapidly changing part of the climate system
- stmospheric processes have a direct impact on human activities (agri and extrmee weather)

Question 2

What is Electromagnetic Radiation?

Answer 2

Electromagnetic Radiation
* Does not require medium to
travel through.
* Spectrum of wavelengths.
** Radiation lawsRadiation laws – show that the
amount of radiant energy
emitted by an object is much
greater as temperature
increases and is wavelength
dependent.
* Solar (shortwave) regime vs
terrestrial (longwave) regime
* hotter objects emit more
energy at shorter wavelengths

Question 3

What is Isolation over the globe?

Answer 3

Insolation over the Globe
* insolation (incoming solar radiation)
* measured in units of watts per square metre (Wm-2)
* varies by latitude and by season
Strahler (2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fd03fBRsuU&feature=emb_logo

The angle of the
Sun’s energy determines the
intensity of insolation on the
ground
for square B, the same
amount of energy as
represented by square A is
spread over a larger area (b x
c) on the ground and
therefore represents a lower
insolation intensity than area
a x c
Strahler (2013)
Lockwood (2017)

Question 4

What are the Three States of Water

Answer 4

• water vapour
• water
• ice

Question 5

What are Sensible Heat and Latent Heat?

Answer 5

sensible heat - – the quantity of heat
held by an object that can be
sensed by touching or feeling

latent heat - Latent heat - heat that is used and
stored when a substance changes
state from a solid to liquid (or
directly to a gas) or liquid to gas
(e.g. evaporation of water)

Question 6

What are latent heat transfers

Answer 6

Latent heat transfer – the transfer
of heat from an evaporating surface
to the atmosphere.
* Heat transfer processes
* Conduction - molecular impact
without the transfer of matter itself
(heat transfer in solids)
* Convection – involves the movement
of large volumes of the substance
itself (mode of heat transfer in fluids)
Sensible Heat and Latent Heat Transfer
Three States of Water

Question 7

what is the heat transfer process

Answer 7

conduction - molecular impact without the transfer of matter itself (heat transfer in solids)
convection - involves the movement of large volumes of the substamce itself (mode of heat transfers in fluids)

Question 8

what is the global energy budgets of the astmosphere and surface

Question 9

what is albedo

Question 10

net radiation, latitude and energy balance

Answer 10

net radiatio - is the difference between incoming and outgoing radiation, at high latitudes there is an energy deficit
poleward - heat transfers move surplus energy from low to high latitudes
over long timescale the complete earth atmosphere system is in thermal equailibrium

Question 11

what are the key components of the climate system?

Answer 11

wind systems > annual and seaonal variations ( caused by inequalities in the distribution of solar radiation over the earths surface, earths rotation)

3 cell circulation model in each hemisphere
- hadley, ferrel, polar cell
polar front ITCZ

trade winds - equator ward flowing easterly winds

jet streams - high levels in the atmosphere

seasonal differences in climate across the global are caused by - the spherical shape of the earth and tilit

Question 12

what is the coriolis effect