Radiation

Question 1

Why does temperature rise in the stratosphere?

Answer 1

Ozone absorption of insolation

Question 2

Why does temperature rise in the thermosphere?

Answer 2

Intense solar radiation excites molecules

Question 3

What happens to incoming solar radiation? There are three possible fates.

Answer 3

1. Scattering: by particles in atmosphere. Wavelength is unchanged
2. Reflection: by clouds particles, and surfaces back to space as shortwaves
3. Absorption: by gases and dust in the atmosphere and at the surface causes warming

Question 4

So what is scattering exactly?

Answer 4

Some short waves are scattered by particles in the atmosphere. No effect on temperature.

Question 5

If there was no atmosphere to produce scattering what would happen to the sky?

Answer 5

The sky would be dark, like the moon.

Question 6

Why does the sky appear blue on a sunny day?

Answer 6

The shortest visible waves (blue and violet) are scattered more by oxygen and nitrogen in atmosphere

Question 7

Why is the sunset/ sunrise yellow, red, and orange?

Answer 7

Oblique angle at sunrise/sunset = LONG distance travel. All blues scatter out, only “longer” red waves are visible at surface

Question 8

What is the albedo?

Answer 8

Albedo = percent of insolation (short waves) reflected by a surface

Question 9

What kind of surfaces reflect best and have the highest albedos?

Answer 9

Fresh snow, light roof, water bodies

Question 10

What is absorbed radiation and what can it be converted to

Answer 10

Absorbed radiation (that part that is NOT reflected) is emitted as longwave (terrestrial) radiation that can be converted to heat

Question 11

What do cooler surfaces emit?

Answer 11

Cooler surfaces emit long-wave radiation

Question 12

What happens to long-waves in the atmosphere?

Answer 12

Long-waves are trapped in the ATM by greenhouse gases

Question 13

So basically absorbed waves mean = ____?

Answer 13

Heat

Question 14

Reflect waves = _____?

Answer 14

No heat (and maybe even cooling)

Question 15

What is the Snow-Temperature Feedback Effect?

Answer 15

snow/ice reflects radiation back to space

Question 16

What does snow and ice cause temperatures to be?

Answer 16

Even colder then before (positive feedback, cooling causes more cooling)

Question 17

What would happen if snow/ ice was melted?

Answer 17

melting snow/ice would decrease albedo and make temperatures rise in that location (positive feedback, heating causes more heating)

Question 18

what are some ways that humans change earth’s albedo?

Answer 18

Asphalt, tar, building materials that absorb rather than reflect

Question 19

What is the average radiation of dense urban areas?

Answer 19

average 20-30% reflection

Question 20

What do low albedo surfaces do?

Answer 20

Low albedo surfaces absorb NRG and emit long-wave radiation that can be trapped and warm the lower atmosphere

Question 21

Does deforestation raise or lower albedo?

Answer 21

Usually raises albedo, thus can cause cooling

Question 22

What is the bottom line on earth’s NRG budget?

Answer 22

At the Global Scale, system is in BALANCE

100 units come in—100 units go out

Question 23

Is NRG distribution the same in every place on the earth?

Answer 23

NRG Distribution varies from place to place and through time. “Overheated tropics, underheated poles”

Question 24

What does this uneven distribution of energy do?

Answer 24

Drives atmosphere-Ocean Circulation!

Question 25

How can heat be moved around the earth?

Answer 25

Conduction, Convection, Radiation and Latent Heat

Question 26

What is evaporation? What is it stored as?

Answer 26

Evaporation: liquid (H2O) changes to gas (vapor) and in the process of changing states is stored as
latent heat.

Question 27

What are the order of states of matter from highest to lowest?

Answer 27

1. Solid
2. Liquid
3. Gas

Question 28

What happens to latent heat as the states of matter move to lower states?

Answer 28

Latent heat is stored during moves to lower states.

Question 29

What is melting?

Answer 29

Solid to liquid

Question 30

What is sublimation?

Answer 30

Solid to gas

Question 31

Are evaporation, melting, and sublimation cooling or warming processes?

Answer 31

They are all cooling processes - take heat away from the environment

Question 32

What happens to latent heat as states of matter moves to higher states?

Answer 32

Latent heat is released during moves to higher states

Question 33

What is condensation?

Answer 33

Gas to liquid

Question 34

What is freezing?

Answer 34

liquid to solid

Question 35

Are condensation and freezing cooling or warming processes?

Answer 35

They are both warming processes - releasing heat to the environment

Question 36

How does heat energy move from overheated places (low latitude) to underheated places (high latitudes)?

Answer 36

Latent (stored) heat in the ATM is how heat energy moves from overheated places (low lats) to underheated places (high lats)