Notes Ch 1 pg 3-35

Essential role of the atmosphere is to move energy from areas of surplus to areas of
deficit
There are energy surplus and deficits all around the planet. Poles have energy
deficit and storms and weather phenomena exist to balance this deficit
Heat on the ground drives lithosphere processes mainly surface weathering and
erosion. They shape landscape and soil. Both then interact with the biosphere.
Cryospheres snow and ice are melted into water by surface energy and these
supply water for lithosphere and hydrosphere. They also play a role in reflecting
incoming sunlight, weather reflected or absorbed.
Heating Earths surface heats the lower atmosphere and evaporates water. This turn
into clouds and falls again as precipitation. When energy is exchanged on earth to
change the state of water, this is called latent heat and play a large role.
Sensible heat: is the energy that changes the temperature of a substance
Presence of sufficient energy in form of heat ,measured in temperature that makes
all Earths systems function.
Energy is the ability to do something, it moves matter or changes its condition in
some way.
Heat is energy that is transferred from one object to another when a temperature
difference exists between the two objects. In the atmosphere it is moved by
condiction, convetion, radiation. Heat flux = (J/s) = WATT used in meterology.
First law of thermodynamics: Energy cannot be created or destroyed.
Radiation is a form of energy and a mode of eerngy transfer. Radiation moves as
photons and electromagnetic waves. The wavelength of radiation is a fundamental
property. Shoer the wave length the greater the photons energy. The h is called
Planck constant.
RE= hc/LAMDA
Air is a mixture of billions of atoms and molecules moving at the same speed.
Temperature is a measure of the average speed of the atoms and molecules in a
substance, higher temperatures correspond to faster speeds. This is called sensible
heat, where kinetic energy is transferred to molecules. Its the heat we feel or sense
and measured by thermometer.
SH=mC(delta T)
Heat capacity is the amount of heat needed to increase the temperature of one
kilogram of a substance by one kelvin. Water has a really high heat capacity, thus if
a lot of energy leaves, temperature changes and this has a large modifying effect.

What we realize is when water evaporates, energy is also taken from the water for
molecules to escape. Evaporation is a cooling process. Thus the remaining water
molecules have less energy and thus cooler. It is why when you step out of shower
you feel cooler, energy is taken from your skin to evaporate water. Energy lost from
the liquid water during evaporation is considered stored or hidden in the water
vapour molecule, This energy is called LATENT HEAT. Consequently Condensation is
a Warming Process.
Energy used to to create liquid droplets: latent heat of condensation. It equals the
latent heat of evaporation. Lower tempreatures mean higher energy needed.
LH = Ml
Energy used in melting process to break down rigid crystal structure is called Latent
heat of fusion.
Energy required to change ice into vapour is called process of sublimation. Also
referred to as the latent heat of sublimination.
Conduction: the transfer of heat from molecule to molecule within a substance.
Generaly the greater the temperature difference, the more rapid the heat transfer.
When touching metal with your hand, you feel colder due to heat conducting away
from your hand.
Convection: The transfer of heat by moving a fluid such as water and air. Thermals
are rising air bubbles.
Convective circulation or thermal cell is produced. In atmosphere: any air that rises
will expand and cool and any air that sink is compressed and warms.
Turbulence: a type of convection. Wind blows over a rough surface, twisting and
swirling the air currents. This type of convection is called forced convection.
Forced convection: is when turbulent air flows over a hot surface. The Swirling
eddies transport war air upward and cold air downward.
Convection- vertical motion of air. Advection- horizontal motion of air
Pg 12
Electromagnetic waves are not like conduction and convection, they do not need
molecules to propagate. They can travel at near vacuum.
Radiation travels in the form of waves that release energy when they are absorbed
by an object. Since these waves have magnetic and electrical properties, we call
them electromagnetic waves. Travel at speed of light 300,000 km/ sec.
All things emit radiation. Energy originates from the billions of rapidly vibrating
electrons that exist in every object. Wavelenghts that each object emit depend on
temperature, as faster temperature means electrons vibrate faster and shorter the
wavelength.

As the temperature of an object increases, more energy in the form of radiation is

emitted each second. This relationship can be expressed as the Stefan Boltzmann
law. E= sigma T^4
Flux Density is the total rate of flow per area of watts. Signma is constant. T is
surfacea rea in elvin. Weins law = Weights law tells us that wavelength of greatest
emission is inversely related to tis temperature, or some simply, high temperatures
emit at short wavenelghts. Lmda max = WDC/T

Cooler earth has a wavelength of about 10 micro meters for its maximum radiation,
which corresponds to the peak of Earths emission curve. Thus, Earth emits most of
its radiation at longer wavelengths between 5 and 25 micrometers, which is in the
infrared band, whereas the sun emits the majority of its radiation at wavelengths
less than 2 micrometers. Earths radiation is called longwave(Terrestrial) radiation
whereas solar radiation referred to as shortwave radiation.
44 percent of radiation from the sun is in the visible light spectrum with peak
emission corresponding to blue green color. Sun emits part of its energy in infrared
whereas Earth and its atmosphere emit virtuall ally energy at infrared wavelengths.
Incoming solar radiation coming toward earth is essentially uninterfered until it
reaches Earths atmosphere. Solar radiation received by surface perpendicular to
the suns rays remains fairly consistent at 1361 W m^-2. This is the solar constant.
Average total solar irradiance is now being used in recognition of the small
variability in this value varies by 1.4 W m^-2.
When this radiation enters the atmosphere, it can be absorbed, scattered reflected
or transmitted. Sunlight can be absorbed by particles or gases such as ozone and
converted into sensible heat warming the air. When rays are deflected in all
directions, this is called scattering by striking air molcules, dust particles and
clouds. Sunlight can also be reflected this is when more light bounces back than
forward. Sunlight can also be transmitted if its unimpeded.
Air moles are smaller than wavelengths of visible light, they scatter blue
wavelengths more effectively than red wavelengths. Thus sky is blue in daytime.
This is called the Rayleigh scattering.
Albedo is the percentage of shortwave radiation returning from a given surface
compared with the amount of radiation initially striking the surface. Albedo is the
reflectivity of the surface to shortwave radiation.
Water surfaces however only reflect a small amount of solar energy. Averaged over
a day, a smooth water surface will have an albedo of about 10 percent. Water has
its highest albedo when the sun is low on the horizon and the water is a little
choppy. Combined effect, earth and its atmosphere will reflect about 30 percent of
the suns incoming radiation back to space, giving earth albedo of 30 percent. This
is important as it shows the amount of energy absorbed by a surface. This is main

energy source at a location. It therefore drives all the weather processes and
determines the climate at a site.
Objects both radiate and absorb energy too. Heat can also be transferred through
conduction convection. On a sunny day, Earths surface warms by absorbing more
energy from the sun and the atmosphere than it radiates, whereas at night, earth
cools by radiating more energy than it absorbs from its surroundings.
Absoprtion and radiation of energy from a surface depends on characteristics such
as colour, texture and moisture as well as temperature. Perfect absorber is
something that absorbs all the radiation that strikes the surface. Perfect emitter is
an object that emits the maximum radiation possible at its given temperature.
Something that is both a perfect absorber and emitter is called a blackbody.
Earth surface and sun absorb and radiate with nearly 100% efficiency for
temperatures, and behave as blackbodies. Consequently we can use Stefanboltsmann and wiens law. Blackbody term only related to a certain wave length.
Greybodies are objects that absorb only a fraction of a blackbody. The difference
between the two types can be compared in a fraction called emissivity. Blackbody>
1 and greybody < 1.
Radiative equilibrium temperature is when infrared radiation is emitted by earth
while solar radiation is absorbed. Earths atmosphere absorbs and emits infrared
radiation. Unlike earths surface, it does not behave likea black body, it only absorbs
certain wavelengths. Selective absorbers are the cause of this. Glass is one such
example.
Kirchoffs law: at a particular wavelength, good absorbers are good emitters and
poor absorbers and poor emitters.
Water vapour and carbon dioxide are strong absorbers of infrared radiation and poor
absorbers of visible solar radiation. Also emit radiation in all directions. Some come
back to earths surface heating it up. It then radiates it back up which is absorbed by
lower atmosphere. Thus vapour and dioxide also act as an insulating layer around
earth, keeping some of the infrared radiation from escaping rapidly into space.
Stratosphere has nitrous oxide, methane and ozone more selective absorbers.
These absorb infrared radiation emit from earths surface, they gain sensible heat.
This in turn increases the air temperature and keeps the lower atmosphere
warming.
Greenhouse effect is caused by airs inability to circulate and mix with cooler
outside air rather than by the entrapment of infrared energy.
The wavelength between 8-11 micrometers is considered the atmospheric window
because it is tramistted and isnt absorbed by water vapour nor CO2.
Clouds enhance greenhouse effect. Liquid cloud droplets are selective absrobers
that effectively absorb infrared radiation but not all visible solar radiation. They
enhance greenhouse by closing atmospheric window as they can absorb 8-11.

Pg 23
Most of the sun radiation is in wavelengths of 0.3 to 1.0 um. As the air hits the warm
surface, it bounces back up only to interact and mix with other molecules. This
energy is passed on through conduction and thus increasing the temperature of the
air. However, this is only true for air close to the ground as the molecules only go up
a very small distance. This warm air is now less dense and starts rising. It expands
and gets warmer if water vapour releases latent heat. Since water vapour decrease
rapidly ave earth, most of the absorption happens near surface. Thus atmosphere
heated from ground upward.
Earths overall average temperature only slightly changes from year to year
meaning Earth and the atmosphere must send off into space just as much energy as
they receive from the sun. Same applies for the surface and atmosphere. Each year
Earths surface must return the same amount of energy that it absorbs