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| travels at the speed of light and can travel thru a vacuum...doesn't need a solid to carry it |
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| measured from one trough to the next trough, or from one crest to the next crest |
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| emmited by objects on earth |
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| plane on which the earth orbits about the sun |
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| the earth is closest to the sun january 3rd |
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| the earth is farthest from the sun july 4th |
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| provide more heating of the earth because: (1) Energy is spread over a larger surface area; and (2) incoming solar radiation (insolation) must pass through more atmosphere |
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| seasonal variations in the Sun's rays above the horizon, & the changes in daylength throughout the year |
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| the latitude that receives direct (at a 90 degree angle) rays from the sun (migrates between 23.50N & 23.50S) |
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| (June 20-21) - @Tropic of Cancer (23.5 N) - Sun's rays directly overhead |
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| (Dec 21-22) - @ Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 S) - Sun's rays directly overhead |
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| ( March 20-21) - Sun's rays directly overhead at the equator |
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| (Sept. 22-23) - Sun's rays directly overhead at the equator |
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| daylength (see diagram in notes) |
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varies throughout the year depending on latitude..
except at the equator and on the two equinoxes, all latitudes experience uneven daylength throughout the course of the year..
@ equator: 12 hrs of daylight & 12 hrs night
@ 40 N/S: ~6 hours difference in daylight
@ 50 N/S: ~8 hours difference in daylight |
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| sun angle above the horizon..also changes due to... |
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| What causes changes in daylength and altitude? |
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| Earth's orientation to the Sun continually changes as it travels along its orbit..earth's curved surface the angle at which the Earth receives radiant energy from the sun varies with latitude..and the lower latitudes receive rays that are more direct (closer to the perpendicular) than do the higher latitudes |
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| Summary of what casuses Seasonality: |
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| (1) Earth's revolution & rotation; (2) Earth's tilt on it's axis (23.50 from the vertical); and (3) its sphericity |
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| What leads to atmospheric and oceanic circulations? |
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| an overall imbalance in radiant energy from the equator to poles |
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| the transfer of heat by molecular contact: molecule to molecule |
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| the transfer of heat from one mass or sumbstance to another |
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| can be transferred thru a vacuum..ALL objects emit radiation |
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| an object that is perfectly efficient at absorbing and radiating radiation (blackbodies do not exist in nature, but represent and ideal) |
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| 3 things that happen to insolation |
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| reflection, scattering, and absorbtion |
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| occurs at the interface between two different media (e.g. air & cloud) when some of the radiation striking the interface is thrown back |
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| similar to reflection, except insolation is dispersed in all directions |
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| radiation is converted to heat and emits that heat (radiation)..most absorption within the atmosphere is by oxygen, ozone, water vapor and various aersols (solid and liquid particles) |
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| insolation that is transmitted directly through the atmosphere to the earth's surface |
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| insolation that is scattered &/or reflected to the earth's surface |
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| insolation budget (see picture in notes) |
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-30 units reflected to space by clouds, the earth, and the atmosphere (thus, the albedo for the Earth as a whole (planetary albedo) is 30%
-20 units absorbed by clouds and the atmosphere
-50 units is absorbed at the earth's surface |
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~direct and diffuse shortwave radiation from the sun is absorbed at the earth's surface
~the earth radiates longwave energy into the atmosphere where some of it is absorbed by the various greenhouse gases
~these gases gain kinetic energy and collide w/neighboring air molecules which increases the average KE of the air, which results in an increase of air temperature
~these same greenhouse gases also emit longwave radiation - some of which is transmitted to the earth's surface where it is absorbed and thus heats the ground
~the earth then reradiates longwave energy upward, where, once again, it is absorbed by the greenhouse gases and warms the lower atmosphere
thus, the greenhouse gases act as an "insulating layer" keeping some of the earth's radiant energy from escaping to space; and keeping the lower atmosphere considerably warmer than it would otherwise be |
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water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, Ozone
~These gases are poor absorbers of visible (shortwave) radiation, but good absorbers of infrared (longwave) radiation |
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| (greenhouse gases are selective) only absorb certain wavelengths |
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