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

Uneven delivery of Sun’s heat to Earth

Uneven reflection of Solar radiation on Earth’s surface

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

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%, CO2 0.035%, D) both

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

2) Season

Incoming Solar Radiation (Short Wave)

Heat reflected varies with season

Heat absorbed varies with surface

Outgoing Radiation (Long Wave)

Incoming, Outgoing and Net Radiation

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?

Incoming, Outgoing and Net Radiation

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)

Convection Cell

Is this the summer or winter monsoon?

Why do pollutants accumulate at high latitudes?

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

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

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?

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

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!!

Circulation Penetrates To 600-1000 m deep Water piles up 2 m higher!

Surface ocean circulation Where are the boundary currents?

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

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

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?

Thermohaline circulation

Which is the densest ocean water mass?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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