Weather Exam 2

95% of solar energy is being emitted between what wavelengths.....and what is its wavelength of maximum emission?

0.25 Um and 2.5 Um

What is a greenhouse gas?

A gas that absorbs infrared (heat) energy

electromagnetic radiation principle 3

As the distance from a radiating object increases, a given amount of energy is distributed over a larger area, so that the energy received per unit of area & per unit of time decreases.

Temperature is a measure of

Average kinetic energy of molecules

The general effect of the contrast in heating and cooling properties of land and water is to produce ___________ winters and ____________ summers over continental interiors than over coastal zones and ocean bodies.

Cooler winters and warmer summers

Cloudy days are _______ than clear days. Why? Cloudy nights remain ________than clear nights. Why?

Cooler, because they reflect sunlight away from the surface. Warmer, because they reflect and emit IR to the surface.

What Earth surface material has the greatest albedo (reflectivity) to visible solar radiation?

Cumulonimbus cloud, 90%

During cloud formation, energy is released to the environment or is absorbed from the environment?

Energy is released to the environment

Differentiate between the concept of heat and that of temperature.

Heat is a form of energy transferred between bodies in response to a difference in temperature. TEMPERATURE is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the individual atoms and molecules of a substance

Understand the following two diagrams and the influence that the rotating winds around high and low pressure systems

High Pressure systems: West is warm, east is cold, rotate clockwise. Low Pressure systems: West is cold, east is warm, rotate counterclockwise.

How do the lack of major west-east trending mountain barriers between the Rocky and the Appalachians Mountains influence the temperatures in Youngstown?

It allows for storms to form more frequently???

As solar radiation attempts to pass through Earth's atmosphere to Earth's surface, what may happen to it?

It can be scattered, reflected, absorbed, or transmitted.

_____ surfaces are rapidly and intensely heated under the sun's rays, whereas ______ surfaces are only moderately heated

Land, Water

Is the time of lowest temperature always just before sunrise?

NO

Does the atmosphere have a fairly good capability to absorb ultraviolet rays, and it so, where and by what gases?

O2 and O3 absorb UV rays very well.

what are the elctromagnetic spectrums main categories?

Radio Waves Microwaves Infrared Waves Visible Light Waves Ultraviolet Waves X-Rays Gamma Rays

Land surfaces cool off more ______ and reach ______ temperatures than water surfaces when solar radiation is cut off or significantly reduced

Rapidly, Lower

In a 24-hour period, when do we normally experience the lowest temperature?

Right after sunrise (About 6am)

What may happen to this solar energy once it reaches the Earth's surface?

Scattered about the atmosphere, reflected to space, absorbed and transformed into heat, transmitted to the earths surface

How do mountain barriers influence temperatures?

Seattle's temperatures show a marked marine influence, but Spokane's temperatures are more typically continental. The Cascades effectively cuts off Spokane from the moderating influence of the Pacific Ocean.

Are the oceans strong absorbers or reflectors of incoming visible light?

Strong absorbers

Which is influenced more by the Gulf Stream - the east coast of the United States or the British Isles and western Europe?

The British isles and western Europe?

What is meant by a convective cell or convective circulation?

The movement of air as it rises and cools (circular movement).

electromagnetic radiation principle 2

The temperature of an object determines how much radiation is emitted and at what particular wavelength.

What two categories of electromagnetic radiation are most important for the heating and cooling of the Earth's surface and lower atmosphere (troposphere)?

Visible light Infrared radiation

What is overwhelmingly the most important greenhouse gas?

Water Vapor

What does sunlight (visible solar radiation) actually warm?

What sunlight really warms is the Earth's surface and not the atmosphere.

heat index

a combination of temperature and humidity

Heat disorders

heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke

The shorter the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation, the ______ is its energy level?

higher

Where would you tend to find fog: over the California Current; over the Gulf Stream; over the Labrador Current; near the junction of the Labrador and Gulf Stream Currents?

near the junction of the Labrador and Gulf Stream Currents

How much of the energy that reaches the top of Earth's atmosphere is actually absorbed directly or indirectly by the Earth's surface?

only about half is eventually absorbed as direct & diffuse insolation by the Earth's surface.

The higher an object's temperature, the more _______ it emits and the shorter is the peak _______ of the emissions.

radiation, wavelengths

Energy is transferred into/through the atmosphere by five main processes:

radiation, conduction, convection, advection, &; the latent heat of evaporation and condensation.

What is kinetic energy?

the energy an object has due to its motion

What is meant by absorption?

the energy conversion process whereby a portion of the radiation incident on an object is converted to heat energy

Energy must be taken from __________ for ice to be converted into liquid water and for liquid water to be converted to water vapor.

the environment (Surroundings)

What is meant by insolation?

the incoming solar radiation that reaches the Earth's surface

Average surface temperatures should decrease as

the landscape's altitude rises above sea level.

What is meant by atmospheric transmission?

the process whereby electromagnetic waves pass completely through a medium

What is meant by conduction? Is the atmosphere a good conductor of heat?

transmission of heat energy by point-to-point contact of neighboring molecules. The atmosphere is not a good conductor of heat.

The Sun radiates much of its energy as __________ whereas Earth radiates most of its energy as ________________.

visible light infrared

What Earth surface material has a very low albedo (reflectivity) to visible solar radiation?

water body (high solar altitude) 3 - 10%

If colder air overlies a warmer water surface, heat will be transferred from the _______ to the __________.

water surface, to the air

Heat energy is released into the environment when?

water vapor is converted to liquid water and liquid water is converted to ice.

What is heat?

the transfer of thermal energy

What is meant by advection?

horizontal heat transfer within the atmosphere

95% of Earth radiation occurs between what wavelengths....and what is its wavelength of maximum emission?

2.5 Um and 25 Um

What is meant by the (infrared) atmospheric window?

Because infrared radiation between wavelengths of 8-12 μm pass upward through the atmosphere and out into outer space, most heat from the Earth's surface eventually escapes to space as IR.

What kind of influence does the California Current have on the western coastal region of the United States?

Because of the cold California current, summer temperatures in subtropical coastal S California are lower by 10.8°F

Land and water have ______ heating and cooling capabilities, and since the heating of the Earth's ______ controls the heating of the _____, land and water influence air temperatures differently.

Different, Surface, Air

On an annual basis, what time of year do we receive the least amount of solar energy?

During the winter season, around December - February.

When water vapor is transferred through the atmosphere, not only is water being moved, but ________________ is also being moved.

Energy

On an annual basis, what time of year do we receive the greatest amount of solar radiation?

In the summer, around June and July.

What may happen when insolation strike's the Earth's surface?

Insolation that strikes the Earth's surface is either REFLECTED or ABSORBED

What must eventually happen to the energy that reaches the Earth's surface?

It is reflected back to space or is absorbed, heating the land and water surfaces

What four things may happen to solar energy as it attempts to reach the Earth's surface?

It may be: Scattered, reflected, absorbed, transmitted

How would a cloudy night affect the time of lowest temperature within a 24-hour period?

It would decrease the rate which the earth cools at night, likely causing the time of lowest temperature to occur later.??????

On an annual basis, what month typically experiences the lowest mean monthly temperature?

January

Understand the wavy patterns of the jet stream have on surface temperatures.

Jet streams move between cold and warm air masses, almost like the contact between them, with Ridges (Concave North) and Troughs (Concave South).

On an annual basis, what month typically experiences the highest mean monthly temperature?

July

In a 24-hour period, on average, when do we experience the highest temperature?

Mid to late afternoon (about 3pm)

Can the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb all wavelengths of infrared radiation?

Neither water vapor or CO2 readily absorb wavelengths between 8-12 μm near the peak of infrared intensity.

Characterize the daytime vs nighttime temperature regime within a desert region.

Night time is much colder than day time, surface loses energy back to space, nothing in the atmosphere (clouds) to absorb outgoing infrared energy.

Is the form of energy reaching the Earth's surface the same type of energy that is returned to space?

No

Do all wavelengths of electromagnetic energy have the same properties...and do they interact with the Earth's components in the same way?

No they do not, some have higher frequency's or wavelengths. Some do not breach the atmosphere.

Does the atmosphere treat visible light and infrared radiation the same?

No, atmosphere absorbs IR but not visible light.

Will must energy reaching the Earth's surface at a particular location be returned to space from that same particular location?

No, does not bounce off at the same angle

Is solar energy distributed over the Earth's surface equally?

No, the tilt of the earth causes sunlight to hit the equator more.

the four selected principles of electromagnetic radiation.

See others

What is electromagnetic radiation (often simply referred to as radiation)?

Solar energy, which travels in the form of waves at the speed of light that release energy when they are absorbed by an object.

What is specific heat and how does this relate to water?

The specific heat of water is significantly greater than that of land materials.

Characterize the ocean surface's albedo to visible solar radiation?

average albedo of the ocean surface is only ~ 8% - that is, the ocean is a strong absorber of sunlight.

In a 24-hour period, on average, when do we receive the least amount of solar radiation?

between 6pm and 6am.

wind chill

chilling caused by convection of heat from the body in the presence of air currents

How do clouds affect temperature? Cloudy days are ______ than clear days. Cloudy nights are _________ than clear nights.

cooler warmer

Weather is the result of

energy transfers and transformations that take place within the Earth-atmosphere system.

heat waves

extended periods of above-normal temperatures

Energy from the sun is in what form?

form of ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION which travels in the form of waves at the speed of light that release energy when they are absorbed by an object.

Oceans act as great _________ and these water bodies _____________ of temperature.

heat reservoirs temper the extremes

The lower atmosphere is warmed by the absorption of ________________ coming off the Earth's _________________.

infrared radiation surface

What is meant by convection? What causes convection in the atmosphere?

transport of heat within a fluid via motions of the fluid itself. Convection is caused by circulation of air based on temperature. Hot air rises, cools, and sinks, then heats and rises again.

what are the five different ways by which a temperature inversion may occur?

(1) radiation inversion; (2) air drainage inversion; (3) frontal inversion; (4) advection inversion; and subsidence inversion.

How might a landscape's aspect influence surface temperatures?

A north-facing slope may still have snow lying on it while a south-facing slope is quite clear. The north facing slope gets less sunlight.

Characterize the temperature differences between Eureka, California on the west coast and New York City on the east coast. They are almost on the same latitude but have much different temperature regimes over the course of the year. See the climograph in the PowerPoint presentation. Explain.

A windward coast will experience the full moderating influence of the ocean - cool summers and mild winters A leeward coastal situation will have a more continental temperature regime because the winds do not carry the ocean's influence onshore.

Hypothermia

Abnormally low body temperature often associated with exposure to cold and windy environments

electromagnetic radiation principle 1)

All things, no matter how big or small emit electromagnetic radiation.

In a 24-hour period, on average, when do we receive the greatest input of solar radiation?

Around noon

Why is the sky blue? Is the sky always blue? If not, why?

As sunlight enters the atmosphere, the shorter visible wavelengths of violet, blue & green are scattered more by nitrogen & oxygen molecules. No it is not, Longer wavelengths as the sunsets turn the sky red and orange.

Ohio is influenced by winds bring air from what two regions?

Canada, great lakes blowing SW Gulf of mexico, lower states blowing NE?????

electromagnetic radiation principle 4

The radiation intensity received from a source depends not only on the intensity emitted & the distance from the source, but also on the angle at which the radiation strikes the surface.

The energy present in a body/substance (its internal energy) consists of (1) __________ and (2) ______________.

The total kinetic energy created by molecular movement. The potential energy stored in the molecular bonds.

Why are urban areas often referred to as "heat islands" in relation to the surrounding more rural areas?

They absorb more solar radiation on the surface and in the atmosphere, and emit more through industry, thus being warmer.

Why does the average temperature of the Earth remain almost the same from year to year?

This is because normally an equal amount of heat leaves the Earth-atmosphere system, mainly via infrared radiation, as enters the system from the sun.

Heat always refers to the TRANSFER of energy between bodies, not to energy contained within the bodies. When two objects/substances come into contact, heat is always transferred from the _______ object to the _______ object.

Warmer object, to the colder object

Heat energy is always transferred from _________ to _________ substances/objects.

Warmer to colder

Examine the temperature regimes of Vancouver and Winnipeg and those of San Diego and Dallas in the PowerPoint presentation.

Winnpeg and Dallas experience a wider variation in temperature. Has higher summer temps and lower winter temps.

What is a temperature inversion?

a layer in the atmosphere of limited depth where the temperature increases rather than decreases with height

What is the influence of the Gulf Stream (and its extension the North Atlantic Drift) on eastern United States and on western Europe?

keeps wintertime temperatures warmer in the eastern US, Great Britain & much of Western Europe.

Characterize the day and night temperature conditions in high mountains.

locations high in the mountains generally have a greater daily temperature range than do locations at lower elevations. (Like the desert)

Do clouds have a capability to absorb outgoing infrared radiation being emitted from the Earth's surface?

they are good absorbers & emitters of infrared radiation. Clouds also have the ability to absorb outgoing IR between 8-12 μm

What is the electromagnetic spectrum

the complete set of possible wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation

What is the meaning of albedo? Give an example of something that has high and something that has low albedo?

the fraction of solar radiation arriving at a surface that is reflected. High albedo = clouds Low Albedo = aerosols

Explain the latent heat of evaporation and condensation. What is meant by latent heat?

the heat required to convert a solid into a liquid or vapor, or a liquid into a vapor, without change of temperature.

What is scattering and what wavelengths are most easily scattered in the atmosphere?

the process by which aerosols and molecules disperse radiation in all directions. Visible violet, blue, and green are scattered.

What is reflection and what is highly reflective in the atmosphere to visible light?

the process whereby a surface turns back a portion of the radiation that strikes it, without being absorbed or transmitted. Clouds are highly reflective to visible light.

explain the Greenhouse Effect.

the warming of the atmosphere by its absorption & emission of infrared radiation coming off the Earth's surface

Does the atmosphere have a good capability to absorb visible light?

there is little in the atmosphere that has the capability of absorbing sunlight and thus the atmosphere is NOT warmed by incoming visible light.