Fundamental Concepts for Essential Principal: Solar energy drives many atmospheric processes.

1. Fundamental Conceptsfor Essential Principal: Solar energy drives many atmospheric processes. Breakout session: 7b Recorder: Rob Payo Reporter: Wendy Abshire ASCL Workshop— Boulder, CO

2. Initial Comments Added a new FC (split one FC into two) Would like work on revising the EP statement: • Delete solar? • Modifier, qualifier on solar ( primarily, most significant) • Whole new rewording: Solar energy is the primary source of energy that drives the Earth’s atmosphere. • Energy sources drive many atmospheric processes. • Solar energy, gravity, and the Earth’s rotation are responsible for many atmospheric processes. ASCL Workshop— Boulder, CO

3. Fundamental Concept #1 • The atmosphere receives energy from the sun, some of which is absorbed, some scattered back to space, and some transmitted to the surface. ASCL Workshop— Boulder, CO

4. Fundamental Concept #2 • Solar energy is transformed into other forms of energy. ASCL Workshop— Boulder, CO

5. Fundamental Concept #3: Energy imbalances create movement in the atmosphere and ocean. ASCL Workshop— Boulder, CO

6. Fundamental Concept #4: • Incoming solar energy is not constant. (Due to astronomical factors including: The tilt of the Earth’s axis, the Earth’s orbit around the sun, the spherical shape of the Earth, variations in the sunlight received by different places on the Earth, variations in solar output) ASCL Workshop— Boulder, CO

7. Fundamental Concept #5: • Solar energy drives chemical reactions in the atmosphere, (e.g., formation of smog, formation and destruction of ozone, and near the Earth’s surface: photosynthesis.) ASCL Workshop— Boulder, CO

8. Fundamental Concept #6: Atmospheric gases are selective absorbers of radiation (e.g. Greenhouse Effect) ASCL Workshop— Boulder, CO

9. Fundamental Concept #7: • At the Earth’s surface, there is net radiational heating. This heat is transferred to the atmosphere via conduction and convection, plus evaporation of water, followed by cloud formation. For example, these two processes are combined in a thunderstorm. ASCL Workshop— Boulder, CO

10. Fundamental Concept #1 Discussion • Solar energy enters the atmosphere over the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Solar energy is transformed into other forms of energy, including energy stored in fossil fuels. Notes: cut EM section, combine sentences w/ucar and goddard, some reflective radiation is scattered (reflection is a special case of scattering), goddard one is nice beginning, one of energy transformation Split out UCAR and Goddard concepts into two separate ones ASCL Workshop— Boulder, CO

11. Fundamental Concept #2: Discussion • The Sun warms the Earth. The Earth cools by emitting long wave radiation. Unequal heating of the Earth drives winds and ocean currents. Notes: Unequal heating of the earth surface drives atmosphere and ocean circulation. Evap cooling is more imp than radiative flux. Unequal heating of the Earth causes movement in the atmosphere (and oceans). Difference btwn incoming and outgoing radiation (both long and short wave) Energy imbalances create movement in the atmosphere and ocean. ASCL Workshop— Boulder, CO

12. Fundamental Concept #3: Discussion • Variations in incoming solar energy exist. These variations are caused by: The tilt of the Earth’s axis, the Earth’s orbit around the sun, the spherical shape of the Earth, variations in the sunlight received by different places on the Earth, variations in solar output, • This drives seasons, diurnal cycles, • Notes: Expand beyond seasonal diff, incl malankovich cycles (geo variations) Variations on diff time scales causing seasons Tilt and rotational axis responsible for seasons, variation of sunlight responsible for seasons. Imbalance of radiation—what happens to that energy? (conduction, evap, convection) Global scale: in general, balance from incoming and out, but locally (geographically) there are imbalances that lead to motion ASCL Workshop— Boulder, CO

13. Fundamental Concept #5: Discussion • Solar energy drives chemical reactions in the atmosphere, (e.g., formation of smog, formation and destruction of ozone, and near the Earth’s surface: photosynthesis. Notes: Photosyn is a land and oceanic process and not an atm process Separate photosyn into sep concept ASCL Workshop— Boulder, CO

14. Fundamental Concept #6: Discussion • The Greenhouse Effect is necessary for life to exist on Earth. Planets balance (equilibrium) the energy received with the energy radiated. Notes: Two different concepts vs one Issue of balance: dealt in other FCs. Is this the best place to address this? All planets have an equilibrium Greenhouse needs to be a separate FC. Imbalance of the Greenhouse Effect: the heating up of the Greenhouse effect Should the Greenhouse effect be singled out as a process listed as a fundamental concept? Perhaps generic: chemistry related notion A definition of the greenhouse effect as an FC to then develop further down the line. (The greenhouse effect refers to….) Atmospheric gases are selective absorbers of radiation (e.g. Greenhouse Effect) ASCL Workshop— Boulder, CO