1. The Ozone ‘Hole’
The Heat Balance

2. What is the purpose of ozone?
Located in stratosphere 25-30km a.s.l.
Acts as protective shield against ultra-violet (UV) radiation from the sun
What damage can UV radiation cause?
Sunburn – skin cancer – snow blindness – cataracts – eye damage – ageing of skin – wrinkling of skin – 1997 suggested link to blood cancer

3. What is the ozone ‘hole’?
Depletion 1st observed by British Antarctic Survey in 1977
First ‘hole’ noted in 1985
There is no actual hole in the layer of gases, they have just been depleted by over 50%
Each spring (Sept-Nov) over Antarctic the very low temperatures cause ozone to be destroyed in chemical reaction with chlorine

4. Where does the chlorine come from?
Chloroflorocarbons – aerosols, refridgerator coolant, manufacture of foam packaging (long term)
Major volcanic eruptions – (short term)

5. How bad is the problem?
1993 Antarctic - over an area the size of the USA ozone was reduced to between half or two thirds of its 1970 levels
Over the Arctic ozone ‘hole’ first notes in 1989, ozone decreased 10% in 1990s
In Britain increase in UV rays 6.8% per decade since 1979
1% less ozone = 5% increase in skin cancer

6. Can ozone appear else where?
Car exhausts generate ozone close to the earth’s surface
Damages plants & causes health problems eg. asthma (London 1994, Paris 1995)
Ground level ozone increases during warm, sunny, anticyclonic conditions
Nitrogen oxides from exhausts can react with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in sunlight to produce petrochemical smog under extreme conditions

7. How is the troposphere heated?
The earth’s atmosphere is not directly heated by the sun.
The rays from the sun are mainly short-wave light rays (insolation).
SW rays are absorbed by the earth’s surface, converted into heat and returned to the atmosphere as long-wave heat rays by:
Radiation – transfer of heat by electromagnetic waves
Conduction – transfer by contact eg. poker in a fire
Convection – mass movement of a gas or liquid
These LW heat rays are trapped by the water vapour in the atmosphere – this is called the Greenhouse Effect.
Therefore, the atmosphere is heated from below and temperature decreases with altitude in the troposphere

8. The Heat Budget The earth’s temp. remains fairly constant
Due to balance between SW (incoming) and LW outgoing radiation
Net gain every where on earth’s surface except polar areas (high latitude & albedo) – curve A
Net loss throughout atmosphere – curve B
Net surplus between 35OS – 40ON (positive heat balance)
Net deficit at high latitudes (polar regions) and high altitudes
(negative heat balance)

9. So how is the heat surplus between 40oN&S transferred to other areas?
2 major heat transfers take place to stop tropical areas overheating.
1.Horizontal Heat Transfers from equator to poles
80% by winds
20% by ocean currents
2. Vertical Heat Transfers
Conduction
Convection
Radiation
Latent heat – the amount of heat energy needed to change the state of a substance without affecting its temperature.
Heat is used up in melting & evaporation
Heat is released by condensation & freezing (warming the atmosphere)

10. Heat Transfers

11. Global factors affecting insolation (Long term)
1. height above sea level (altitude)
Why does temp decrease with height?
Decreased area of land surface from which to heat the air
Density or pressure of air decreases – air not as able to hold heat (molecules fewer and more widely spaced)
2. Altitude of the sun
As move towards pole land area to be heated by each ray increases due to angle
& depth of atmosphere to pass through increases (more chance for scattering, absorption, reflection)

12. Global factors affecting insolation (Long term)
3. Land and sea
Diff. abilities to absorb, transfer & radiate heat energy
Sea absorbs heat to 10m depth
Sea transfers heat to greater depths via waves & currents
Oceans act as thermal reservoirs in winter
Sea has greater specific heat capacity
SHC is the amount of energy required to raise the temp of 1kg of a substance by 1oC
SHC of water 1 kilocalorie
SHC of land 0.5 kc
SHC of sand 0.2 kc

13. Mean annual range in temperature oC Coastal areas have a smaller annual range of temp. than locations at centre of continents

14. Global factors affecting insolation (Long term)
4. prevailing winds
Temp determined by area of origin and the surface over which it has blown

15. Global factors affecting insolation (Long term)
5. ocean currents
Horizontal transfer of heat energy
Warm currents head towards poles
Cold currents from poles to equator
Circular currents:
Clockwise in N
Anticlockwise in S

16. Temperature Anomaly = this term is used to describe temperature differences from a mean Eg. Stornoway has a mean Jan temp 20oC higher than the aver for other places at 58oN NE Siberia 24oC colder than the mean at its latitude. WHY?

17. Controls on temperature at global level:
Latitude – angle of the sun
Revolution – earth revolves around the sun in 365 and a quarter days
Rotation – earth takes 24 hours to rotate on its own axis
Tilt – earth is tilted at 66.5o to the horizontal path of the earth’s travel
Seasonal changes:
Solstices – June 21st is the summer (sun at 54o and 17.5 hrs sunlight) – winter is December 22nd (sun at 12o and 6.5 hrs sunlight)
Equinoxes – March 21st & September 22nd – sun overhead at the equator and all places have equal day and night

18. Local influences on insolation
Aspect
Cloud cover
Clouds reduce day time temps
Provide insulating layer to retain heat at night
World’s greatest diurnal temp range found in tropical deserts
Urbanisation
Affects the albedo
Creates urban ‘heat islands’
North facing - adret
South facing - ubac