1. GEOL 3100 Earth’s Climate and Environment: Past, Present, and Future
The Climate System
GEOL 3100
Earth’s Climate and Environment:
Past, Present, and Future

6. Uneven delivery
of Sun’s heat to
Earth

7. Uneven reflection of
Solar radiation on
Earth’s surface

8. What is the
definition of
Albedo?
The percentage of
incoming radiation
reflected by a
surface
Albedo = a =
reflectivity

9. Greenhouse Effect Why don’t the red arrows add up?
Without the GH effect, what would Earth’s avg. T be?
What are the main GH gases?
Do clouds trap or reflect heat?
A) Multiple absorption/radiation cycles, B) -16 C, C) H20 1-3%, CO %, D) both

10. Uneven heating
of Earth’s
surface provides
key to
understanding
Earth’s weather
and climate
Heat delivered
varies with
1) Latitude

11. 2) Season

12. Incoming Solar Radiation (Short Wave)

13. Heat reflected varies with season

14. Heat absorbed
varies with
surface

15. Outgoing Radiation (Long Wave)

16. Incoming, Outgoing and Net Radiation

19. Given the
observed
variations in
delivery and
reflection of
solar radiation,
does the
variation in the
latitudinal
temperature
profile seem
too big or
too small?

20. Incoming, Outgoing and Net Radiation

21. Mechanisms of heat transfer in the atmosphere
Conduction
Moves sensible heat through diffusion
Convection
Moves sensible heat through movement of air
Moves latent heat through movement of water
Average parcel of water travels 1000 km (LA to Denver)

25. Convection Cell

26. Is this the summer or winter monsoon?

29. Why do pollutants accumulate
at high latitudes?

30. Feet
164K
60K
26.4K
Miles 31 11 5
99.9% of atm
If the Earth
was the
size of a
basketball,
how thick
would the
atmosphere
be?
a fruit
roll-up
80% of atm

31. Where is most of the latent heat in the atmosphere stored?
How far does the average parcel of water vapor travel?

33. Water vapor feedback Activity:
Work with your neighbor to list the four steps of the water vapor feedback
Does this feedback include clouds and the effects of latent heat?

35. Eckman Spiral What hemisphere is this? How do you know?
How many of you have studied the Coriolis effect?
Eckman Spiral

36. Activity:
Plot the path of a parcel of air traveling 20 mph from 30N towards the equator, marking the progress each hour for 5 hours
Plot the amount of rotation of the earth for each of these points during that hour assuming that the Earth is rotating 800 mph
Does the atmosphere rotate with the Earth?
If the atmosphere couldn’t quite keep up with the Earth, how would the air appear to move from the Earth’s surface
1000 m/hr!!

41. Circulation
Penetrates
To m
deep
Water piles up
2 m higher!

43. Surface ocean circulation
Where are the boundary currents?

44. Oceanic circulation and climate
Water has a high heat capacity
One third of the Earth’s heat transport from the equator toward the poles is transported by the ocean!
Without the Gulf Stream current, Europe would be 10 – 20 °F colder

45. What drives ocean circulation?
Like in the atmosphere, density differences
What changes the density of water?
Temperature: colder water is more dense
Salinity: saltier water is more dense

46. The Gulf Stream Current
What causes the surface ocean water to move?
What happens to the water as it goes through the Caribbean and past Florida?
What happens to the water as it goes towards Greenland?
Where is most of the ocean’s deep water formed?

47. Thermohaline circulation

50. Which is the densest ocean water mass?

51. If water goes into the deep ocean in the high latitudes, where does it come back up?

53. Are Duluth winters colder or warmer if the lake freezes over?

55. Equilibrium line Mean annual T at Equil. line mtn glaciers = 0 C
Mean annual T at Equil. line ice sheets = -10 C

56. What is an ice stream?
What is the best place to core an ice sheet?

59. What proportion of the atmosphere, vegetation, deep ocean, and rock record exchange each year? Quickest and slowest to change?

64. Which biome has the highest albedo?
Which biome has the lowest albedo?

67. Where do you see the
effect of vegetation on
The carbon cycle?