Heating the Atmosphere (Chapter 14, with material from Chapter 2)

Transcription

1 Heating the Atmosphere (Chapter 14, with material from Chapter 2) 1. Reflection on Prior Knowledge: What process in Earth s early history resulted in the formation of an atmosphere? What gases characterized the composition of this early atmosphere? Is having an atmosphere a unique characteristic of our planet? Explain! 2. What gases characterize the composition of Earth s modern day atmosphere? By what process did Earth s early atmosphere change? 3. What are Greenhouse Gases? 4. Is Earth s atmosphere stable or is it continuing to change over time? 5. Is oxygen a necessary requirement for the presence of life? 6. Earth s gravity is responsible for holding the gases of the atmosphere in place. Within miles and kilometers of Earth s surface, one may find 99% of the gases comprising Earth s atmosphere. Half of Earth s atmosphere is found within miles of Earth s surface.

2 7. The Thermal Structure of Earth s Atmosphere Thermal Layer Thermal Structure Other Characteristics Thermosphere Mesosphere Stratosphere Troposphere 8. List the three factors that affect the heating of the Earth: 9. Describe the terms rotation and revolution as they apply to Earth motions. 10. Label the seven major parallels (latitude values) of Earth: What is the significance of the 23.5 latitude value?

3 11. Earth is closest to the Sun at, which occurs in. Earth is furthest from the Sun at, which occurs in. 12. The is the point on Earth s surface where the Sun s radiation strikes at a 90 angle. In the following image, this point is located at latitude. a.) The solar footprint increases as the angle of incidence (increases / decreases). b) In this image, the solar footprint is greatest at: 23.5 S 30 N 0 90 N 13. Earth-Sun Relationships On the following diagram, indicate any missing information for solstices, the equinoxes, and the location of the subsolar point.

4 14. Summary: (circle the correct answers in the statements below.) In addition to seasonal changes, Polar Regions receive less solar energy than any other region on Earth s surface because: The solar footprint is (greater / smaller) in Polar Regions. Incoming solar energy must pass through (more / less) of the atmosphere in Polar Regions. (More / Less) sunlight is reflected in Polar Regions due to the angle of incidence as well as the albedo or reflectivity of the surface. 15. Due to the controls on incoming solar energy, Earth s surface experiences net heat (gain / loss) between 40 North and South latitudes. At latitudes greater than 40 North and 40 South, Earth s surface experiences net heat (gain / loss). 16. How do the following factors affect receipt of solar energy? Differential heating of land and water: Altitude: Geographic position: Cloud cover: Albedo: 17. How many temperature zones does San Diego County exhibit? 18. What is an isotherm? 19. World average temperature extremes occur in January and July. Why do these extremes not match the timing of the solstices? 20. Heat is always transferred from objects to objects. The mechanisms of heat transfer are:

5 21. Incoming solar radiation (energy) occurs in which wavelengths: (circle all that apply) Incoming solar radiation is dominated by: (circle the correct answer) 22. Approximately % of incoming solar radiation is absorbed by Earth s surface. Approximately % of incoming solar radiation is lost to space. This is Earth s. 23. Outgoing Earth radiation (energy) occurs in which wavelengths: (circle all that apply) 24. How do greenhouse gases interact with this outgoing energy? 25. If Earth did not have a natural greenhouse effect, what would be the impact on life? 26. Why are there two greenhouse effects? Natural greenhouse effect: Anthropogenic greenhouse effect: 27. What is the single common factor among all anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gases?