GEO 130: Chapter 2

Higher heat capacity means what?

It will heat slower than something with lower heat capacity.

Why does North-central Asia has a large annual temperature range?

because of its subpolar location and distance from the oceans.

Which greenhouse gas emissions are being increased by anthropological (human activity) sources? What is increasing the emission each one?

1. Carbon dioxide (burning of fossil fuels and deforestation) 2. Methane (agriculture and livestock production) 3. Nitrous Oxide (agricultural sources and industrial processes)

The California Current is a ____________.

cool ocean current off the coast of California.

Which of the following climate types is dominantly found adjacent to warm ocean currents?

humid subtropical; Humid subtropical climates generally occur on the eastern side of continents next to warm ocean currents.

How does shortwave radiation from the Sun interact with the atmosphere in a number of ways?

1. a small portion is absorbed by the earth 2. it is reflected, scattered, or transmitted through the atmosphere = heats the earth's surface 3. causes longwave radiation to emit from earth which is absorbed by greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. 4. Energy heats the atmosphere and increases the rate at which it radiates energy, both outward toward space and back toward Earth's surface

What conversion is necessary to generate usable electrical current for a home?

DC power had to be converted into AC power.

What would happen to Earth's atmospheric temperature if the amount of incoming shortwave radiation from the Sun decreased and was less than the longwave radiation lost to space?

The atmospheric temperature would decrease.

What would happen to Earth's atmospheric temperature if the amount of shortwave radiation reflected at Earth's surface increased significantly?

The atmospheric temperature would decrease.

What would happen to Earth's atmospheric temperature if the amount of outgoing longwave radiation decreased so that it was less than incoming shortwave radiation from the Sun?

The atmospheric temperature would increase.

What would happen to Earth's atmospheric temperature if the amount of shortwave radiation reflected by clouds decreased significantly?

The atmospheric temperature would increase.

What would happen to Earth's atmospheric temperature if the amount of incoming shortwave radiation from the Sun was the same as the longwave radiation lost to space?

The atmospheric temperature would remain the same.

What is the marine effect?

The moderating influence the ocean has along coastlines or on islands because of water's lower heat capacity. (meaning these costal locations have a smaller range in varying temperatures throughout the seasons)

Which has a higher heat capacity? Air or water? Why?

Water; it allows the heat to transfer throughout the water which in turn heats it much slower.

If a home uses a large supply of solar panels to generate electricity but has no battery system, surplus electricity that is produced is usually __________.

released into the power grid for others to use, generating a credit to the homeowner

Which of the following is a challenge to using solar-generated electricity in places not connected to a power grid?

the lack of efficient and inexpensive battery technology

How much of the Sun's incoming radiation is absorbed by Earth's surface?

45%

What does heat capacity mean?

How fast something will heat up.

What causes the Greenhouse effect?

The absorption and emission of longwave radiation between Earth and the atmosphere

Which of the following best describes the energy conversion sequence in the solar panel system?

Photons carrying energy from the sun chemically react with silicon crystals to generate a flow of electrons.

Only some shortwave radiation from the Sun reaches Earth's surface. What is the leading cause of this radiation loss?

Reflection off clouds.

Which of the following would indicate that a home is using solar power to generate electricity and is NOT using batteries?

There are solar panels on the roof and power lines going to the home.

What is continentality?

This is the phenomenon where interior locations far from oceans are less effected by them and hence tend to have large temperature ranges across the seasons.

What is the most abundant greenhouse gas?

Water vapor

How is energy transferred from Earth's surface to Earth's atmosphere?

through the latent heat in water vapor through the greenhouse effect through conduction through convection

The main physical factors, called controls, that affect surface temperatures are:

1. Latitude: Location with respect to the equator and poles. This is the most important control on both average annual temperatures and temperature range. 2. Elevation: Height above sea level. Temperatures generally decrease with elevation at a lapse rate of ~6°C / km or 3.5°F / 1000 foot elevation gain. 3. Cloud Cover: Cloud cover influences Earth's radiation budget by increasing albedo (reflectivity) and lowering temperatures during the day, yet raise minimum temperatures at night by increasing surface insolation. 4. Land-Water Gradients: Land has a lower specific heat than water, meaning land heats up and cools down faster because it requires less energy, compared to water. Other processes like evaporation, transparency, and movement are also different; oceans can evaporate more, are more transparent, and mixing occurs between layers more efficiently. Thus, temperature differences between oceans and continents can influence temperature patterns.

How much of the Sun's incoming radiation is scattered or reflected back to space before any heating effect is felt on Earth?

31%

When the solar panel system is not generating enough electricity or any at all at night, the home can draw upon what?

The power grid. Therefore, the home does not require or use batteries for backup.

Which regions have the coldest temperatures and why?

The regions towards the poles have the coldest temperatures and receive the least amount of insolation on average annually.

What average temperature does the greenhouse effect keep the Earth at?

keeping Earth at an average temperature of 15 ∘C (59 ∘F), instead of −18 ∘C (0 ∘F) if there were no greenhouse effect.