Atmospheric Heating

S6E4.a Demonstrate that land and water absorb and lose heat at different rates and explain the resulting effects on weather patterns. Describe what happens to solar energy that reaches Earth Summarize the processes of radiation, thermal conduction, and convection Explain the relationship between the greenhouse effect and global warming

Energy in the Atmosphere Earth and it’s atmosphere are warmed by energy from the sun. We are going to discuss the three ways that this happens: radiation, conduction, and convection.

Radiation: Energy Transfer by Waves Radiation is the transfer of energy as electromagnetic waves Radiation is how energy from the sun reaches Earth. Energy from the Sun is absorbed by the atmosphere, land, and water and converted into thermal energy The earth receives only about 2 Billionths of the energy radiated by the sun. 0.0000_ The order after the decimal is tenths, hundredths, thousandths, millionths, billionths.

Conduction: Energy Transfer by Contact Thermal Conduction is the transfer of thermal energy through a material by direct contact Thermal energy is always transferred from warm to cold areas When air molecules come into Direct Contact with the warm surface of earth, thermal energy is transferred to the atmosphere.

Convection: Energy Transfer by Circulation convection is the transfer of thermal energy by the circulation or movement of a liquid or gas MOST thermal energy in the atmosphere is transferred by convection