Climate Study Guide PDF

# Climate Study Guide ## The Atmosphere - **Atmospheric dust:** soot, pollen, microorganisms. - **Biosphere:** The thin layer of the Earth that can support life. - **Components of the biosphere:** - **Atmosphere:** Composed of a mixture of gases - **Nitrogen (78.08%):** required for pl...

# Climate Study Guide ## The Atmosphere - **Atmospheric dust:** soot, pollen, microorganisms. - **Biosphere:** The thin layer of the Earth that can support life. - **Components of the biosphere:** - **Atmosphere:** Composed of a mixture of gases - **Nitrogen (78.08%):** required for plant growth. - **Oxygen (20.95%):** for cellular respiration by living organisms. - **Other gases (0.97%):** include (water vapor, part of the hydrosphere) carbon dioxide. - **Hydrosphere:** All the water on Earth in all three forms: liquid, solid and vapor. - **Lithosphere:** Includes the crust and the uppermost mantle, which constitute the hard and rigid outer layer of the Earth. ## Layers of the Atmosphere The atmosphere is divided into four layers: | Layer | Average Temperature | Altitude | Characteristics | |---|---|---|---| | Troposphere | 15°C | ↑ altitude ↑ temp | 80% Earth's atmospheric gases, nearly all life contained in this layer, almost all atmospheric dust | | Stratosphere | ↑ altitude ↑ temp, clumps of cells | No other life, contains most of the ozone gas (ozone layer)| | | Mesosphere | ↑ altitude ↓ temp | | | | Thermosphere | ↑ altitude ↑ temp | | There are auroras (caused by Earth's magnetic field) | ## The Lithosphere / Crust - 100km deep. - Types of life: (plants, animals, microorganisms) - Warmed by the sun's energy. - A lesser degree: geothermal energy (the core). ## Hydrosphere - 97% water on Earth is saltwater. - 3% is fresh water (ice, glaciers, polar ice caps). - Warmed by solar radiation. - Bit by mantels molten warmth. - Water exists in all three parts of the biosphere: water vapor in the atmosphere, water in soil/ground in the lithosphere. ## Conditions Affecting Tree Rings **Warm + Wet conditions** - wider rings (more water faster growth). - thicker and well-defined rings. **Cold and dry conditions** - narrower rings (water scarce slower growth). - thin earlywood ( thinner less defined). - Less density rings. ## Insulators and Conductors - **Insulators:** materials that resist the flow of heat. Trap heat or slow its transfer. - Air (air gaps) - Wood (air pockets) - Snow & ice (air bubbles) - **Conductors:** materials that allow heat to pass through them easily. - metals - water (large bodies) - soil and rock (Store and absorb heat) ## Solar Radiation - **Insolation:** Amount of solar radiation striking the Earth's surface at a particular region. - **Angle of Incidence:** The angle at which the sun's rays strike the Earth's surface. - **Albedo:** Is a measure of how much light is reflected by a surface. ## Greenhouse Effect - Greenhouses gases trap heat from the sun. These gases allow sunlight (solar radiation) to enter the atmosphere, but prevent infrared radiation from escaping back into space. - Keeps Earth habitable and warmer. - The main contributor is water vapor. ## Factors Affecting Temperature and Precipitation - **Summer:** North poles tilted towards the sun. - **Winter:** The north pole is tilted away from the sun. - **Fall & Spring:** Earth perpendicular to the sun's rays. ## Wind Currents and Ocean Currents - **Wind Currents:** Contribute to the redistribution of heat and moisture across the planet, driving weather patterns, global circulation, movement of air masses. - **Ocean Currents:** Moving heat across the globe and influencing coastal climates, marine ecosystems, global weather patterns. ## Angle of Inclination and Coriolis Effect - **Angle of Inclination:** The degree by which Earth's poles are tilted perpendicular to the plane of its orbit. Earth's 23.5°. - **Coriolis Effect:** The deflection of any object from a straight-line path by the rotation of the Earth. ## Convection Currents - Are driven by the unequal heating of a fluid, creating a continuous cycle of rising warm fluid and sinking cool fluid found in the atmosphere (weather), oceans (currents), Earth's interior. ## Scientist Activities to Identify Past Climates - Ice samples. - Tree rings (growth rate). - Fossil records. ## Net Radiation and the Types - **Net radiation:** Incoming radiation - outgoing radiation. - **Positive Radiation:** Incoming energy, adds energy into a system. - **Negative Radiation:** Outgoing energy, removes energy from a system. ## Constant Temperature and Precipitation - **Constant Temperature:** Close to the equator. - **Close to water:** Precipitation. - **Varied Temperature:** Far from the equator. - **Far from water:** Less precipitation. ## Heat Energy, Formulae and System Types - **Q = mcΔT:** - **Q:** Quantity of energy (J). - **m:** Mass (g). - **c:** Specific heat capacity (J/g°C). - **ΔT:** Change in temperature. - **Heat of fusion:** Absorbed energy (solid -> liquid), melting. - **Heat of solidification:** Energy released (liquid -> solid), freezing. - **Heat of vaporization:** Energy absorbed (liquid to gas), evaporation. - **Heat of condensation:** Energy released (gas to liquid). - **H = Q/n:** - **H:** Heat fusion or heat of vaporization. - **Q:** Quantity of energy (J). - **n:** Moles. - **Open System (Biomes):** Exchange of both energy and matter with surrounding environment.