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The Climate System. GEOL 3100 Earth’s Climate and Environment: Past, Present, and Future. Uneven delivery of Sun’s heat to Earth. Uneven reflection of Solar radiation on Earth’s surface. The percentage of incoming radiation reflected by a surface. What is the definition of Albedo?.
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The Climate System GEOL 3100 Earth’s Climate and Environment: Past, Present, and Future
Uneven delivery of Sun’s heat to Earth
Uneven reflection of Solar radiation on Earth’s surface
The percentage of incoming radiation reflected by a surface What is the definition of Albedo? Albedo = a = reflectivity
Greenhouse Effect • Why don’t the red arrows add up? • Without the GH effect, what would Earth’s avg. T be? • What are the main GH gases? • Do clouds trap or reflect heat? A) Multiple absorption/radiation cycles, B) -16 C, C) H20 1-3%, CO2 0.035%, D) both
Uneven heating of Earth’s surface provides key to understanding Earth’s weather and climate Heat delivered varies with 1) Latitude
Heat absorbed varies with surface
Given the observed variations in delivery and reflection of solar radiation, does the variation in the latitudinal temperature profile seem too big or too small?
Mechanisms of heat transfer in the atmosphere • Conduction • Moves sensible heat through diffusion • Convection • Moves sensible heat through movement of air • Moves latent heat through movement of water • Average parcel of water travels 1000 km (LA to Denver)
Why do pollutants accumulate at high latitudes?
99.9% of atm Feet 164K 60K 26.4K Miles 31 11 5 If the Earth was the size of a basketball, how thick would the atmosphere be? a fruit roll-up 80% of atm
Where is most of the latent heat in the atmosphere stored? • How far does the average parcel of water vapor travel?
Water vapor feedback • Activity: • Work with your neighbor to list the four steps of the water vapor feedback • Does this feedback include clouds and the effects of latent heat?
What hemisphere is this? • How do you know? • How many of you have studied the Coriolis effect? Eckman Spiral
Activity: • Plot the path of a parcel of air traveling 20 mph from 30N towards the equator, marking the progress each hour for 5 hours • Plot the amount of rotation of the earth for each of these points during that hour assuming that the Earth is rotating 800 mph • Does the atmosphere rotate with the Earth? • If the atmosphere couldn’t quite keep up with the Earth, how would the air appear to move from the Earth’s surface 1000 m/hr!!
Circulation Penetrates To 600-1000 m deep Water piles up 2 m higher!
Surface ocean circulation Where are the boundary currents?
Oceanic circulation and climate • Water has a high heat capacity • One third of the Earth’s heat transport from the equator toward the poles is transported by the ocean! • Without the Gulf Stream current, Europe would be 10 – 20 °F colder
What drives ocean circulation? • Like in the atmosphere, density differences • What changes the density of water? • Temperature: colder water is more dense • Salinity: saltier water is more dense
The Gulf Stream Current • What causes the surface ocean water to move? • What happens to the water as it goes through the Caribbean and past Florida? • What happens to the water as it goes towards Greenland? • Where is most of the ocean’s deep water formed?
