Earth Science 17.2, Heating the Atmosphere
In conduction heating how is energy of molecules transferred?
Collisions from one molecule to another
What is the transfer of heat through matter by molecular activity?
Conduction
Three mechanisms of energy transfer as heat
Conduction Convection Radiation
The transfer of heat by mass movement or circulation within a substance.
Convection
When radiation is scattered is more scattered forward or backward?
Forward
Is all radiation absorbed?
No
Is conduction an important mechanism of heat transfer in the atmosphere? Why?
No because air is a bad conductor
What do plants use the energy from radiation in?
Photosynthesis
What occurs when an electromagnetic wave bounces off an object?
Reflection
What produces a larger number of weaker rays that travel in different directions?
Scattering
Do objects with shorter or longer wave lengths emit more energy?
Shorter
What scatters incoming radiation in all directions?
Small dust and gas particles
Measure of the average kinetic energy (energy of motion) of individual atoms or molecules in a substance.
Temperature
What causes the blue color of the daytime sky?
The blue color is caused by gas molecules in the atmosphere that scatter incoming solar radiation.
What does the atmosphere efficiently absorb?
The longer wavelengths emitted by Earth
What does an object have to act like in convection?
Like a fluid
The system of categorizing, of describing, the different wavelengths and energies of radiation and photons?
Electromagnetic spectrum
About what percentage of solar radiation that is absorbed at Earth's surface arrives as scattered radiation?
50%
What can radiation travel through unlike heat from conduction and convection?
A vacuum
What does radiation from the sun travel through while in space?
A vacuum
What describes a situation when a substance will trap photons and radiation rather than reflect them?
Absorption
The trapping of heat by earth's lower atmosphere. Without it, earth's average surface temperature would be about 255 K (0°F) instead of the current 288 K (59°F).
Greenhouse effect
The energy transferred from one object to another because a difference in temperature
Heat
When radiant energy is absorbed it is converted to ___ and is absorbed
Heat
What radiate more total energy hot or cold objects?
Hot
If an object is a good absorber what does that mean?
It is a good emitter
How does much of the heat transfer that occurs in the atmosphere happen?
Through convection
T/F the reflected radiation has the same intensity as the incident radiation?
True
What is the narrow portion of the the EM spectrum that human eyes are sensitive to, that is, can be seen by the human eye?
Visible light
What are two transmitters of radiation?
Water and air
What are the major absorbing gases in the atmosphere?
Water vapor and carbon dioxide
Do all objects emit energy?
Yes
