PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY Atmosphere Energy/Temperature

1. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHYAtmosphereEnergy/Temperature Chapter 4 C.J. Cox

2. Chapter 4 Overview • The Atmosphere & its gases • Weather & Climate • Layers of the Atmosphere • Solar Energy • wavelengths of energy • ozone depletion • greenhouse effect • transfer of heat energy • Factors Influencing Heating • Temperature

3. The Earth System • System- a set of components that are interrelated. • Earth’s Major Subsystems - • atmosphere • lithosphere • hydrosphere • biosphere

4. EARTH’S MAJOR SUBSYSTEMS

5. ATMOSPHERE ATMOSPHERE

6. Atmosphere • Sphere of gases that surrounds the earth • insulates/ regulates temperature • protects from harmful radiation • platform for weather & climate

7. Air has weight • that can expand • or compress • variable mixture • of gases • at sea level ATMOSPHERIC GASES

8. Weather • Atmospheric Conditions • over a short period of time (days or a week) • that includes • temperature • precipitation • air pressure or weight • wind • humidity or vapor

9. Climate • Atmospheric Conditions • over a long period of time (seasonal or a year) • that includes • temperature • precipitation • air pressure or weight • wind • humidity or vapor

10. WEATHER & CLIMATE are influenced by ATMOSPHERE latitude Size, shape & distribution of land masses Ocean current temperatures Air pressure & winds Mountain barriers Distance from oceans

11. Layers of the Atmosphere Earth

12. Layers of the Atmosphere Earth Earth Troposphere

13. Troposphere - sphere of air Where all weather and climate occur

17. Layers of the Atmosphere Earth

18. Depletion of the Ozone Layer • The destruction of the ozone layer of the stratosphere due to the release of human produced CFC’s or chlorofluorocarbons. • The loss of ozone as a protective gas has allowed increased receipt of harmful ultraviolet radiation, resulting in lower crop production, loss of plants and wildlife ad increases in cases of skin cancer.

21. ATMOSPHERE SYSTEM Solar Energy Temperature (measurement of heat energy Air pressure (created by heat differences) Wind (movement of air created by air pressure)

22. SOLAR ENERGY • Energy radiates out from the sun at all directions at the speed of light • Energy emitted by the sun is in the form of electromagnetic energy which travels I a spectrum of waves of varying lengths.

24. WAVELENGTHS OF ENERGY

26. Transfer of Heat in The Earth’s Atmosphere • Radiation - transfer of energy through space by heat waves • solar radiation - transferred to earth (x rays, ultra violet, infra red) • insolation- incoming solar radiation (received at the earth’s surface) • terrestrial radiation - ground re-radiation (heat transferred to atmosphere (long infrared rays)

32. Global Warming • Warming of the atmosphere • Warming that occurs because short-wave solar radiation heats the planet’s surface, but the loss of long wave heat radiation is hindered by the release of gases associated with human activity

33. Greenhouse Effect • Process of absorbing and radiating heat. • and the greenhouse effect regulates earth’s temperature Regulation and stabilization of temperature caused by a balance of insolation and atmospheric gases which capture and release heat slowly

34. Greenhouse Gases Gases that have the ability to absorb and release energy Increasing greenhouse gases increases temperature • H2O • CO2 caused by burning fossil fuels • Methane – swamps, landfills, rice paddies, cows, termites, • NO2 – burning coal & fertilizers • CFC’s Chloroflourcarbons (aerosol propellants) • Ozone – automobile exhaust & sunlight

36. Transfer of Heat in The Earth’s Atmosphere • Radiation - transfer of energy through space by heat waves • solar radiation - transferred to earth (x rays, ultra violet, infra red) • insolation- incoming solar radiation (received at the earth’s surface) • terrestrial radiation - ground re-radiation (heat transferred to atmosphere (long infrared rays)

37. Transfer of Heat in The Earth’s Atmosphere • Conduction - transfer of energy by way of a solid • Convection - transfer of heat energy by way of gases & liquid • Advection - transfer of heat energy horizontally (wind) • Latent Heat - heat held within an air mass that is released when the air mass rises to a cooler temperature

39. Factors Influencing Heating • Latitude - angle of the sun’s rays (direct or oblique), length of day • Gases in the atmosphere holding heat • Altitude • Cloud Cover • Differential Heating of land & water • water heats and cools at a slower rate

40. Differential Heating of Land & Water

42. Temperature - the measurement of heat produced by solar radiation and terrestrial re-radiation

43. Different parts of the earth receive different amounts of SOLAR ENERGY resulting in heating measured by TEMPERATURE

47. Temperature Terms • Temperature Range • difference between the highest and lowest temperatures during a specific period of time • Annual Temperature Range • the difference between the average temperature of the coldest month and the average temperature of the warmest month during a twelve month period

48. Terms con’t • Diurnal Temperature Range • the daily temperature range which occurs during the 24 hours of a day • Mean Daily Temperature • the diurnal average between the highest and lowest temperature • World Temperature Distribution • Isotherms - lines of equal temperature used on maps to show relative temperatures