Seasons, Greenhouse Effect, and Temperature.pptVIP

Temperature Inversions Temperature Inversion Inversions are extremely stable They stop air (and anything in it) from mixing Situations where inversions are likely to occur: Clear, calm nights Long nights (winter) Snow cover Topographic forcing (valleys) Wind Chill Wind Chill describes the increased loss of heat due to movement of the air. (Fxn of T and wind speed) Basically takes into account how quickly wind removes the small layer of body heat warmed air surrounding your body. IPCC, NCAR websites! * Seasons, Greenhouse Effect, and Temperature Lynn Gribble 5/27/09 Differential heating Figure 2-20 Temperature and Heat Heat is the energy produced by the random motions of molecules and atoms, it is the TOTAL kinetic energy of a substance. Temperature is the measure of the AVERAGE kinetic energy of a substance. Temperature conversions: 0°C = 273K °C = 5/9(°F – 32) °F = 9/5 (°C) + 32 Atmospheric Stratification Figure 1.14 99% of mass Hydrologic Cycle The Hydrologic Cycle adds and removes water from the atmosphere. D:\Media\Active_Figures\35_Hydrologic_Cycle\35.html Eco Tip #2 Paper or Plastic? NEITHER! We use 8% of the world’s oil supply to make plastic products including plastic bags. Plastic bags could take up to 500 years to decompose. What to do? Reuse as many as you can, recycles the ones you can’t (most grocery stores have a recycling drop off location for them) Leave a few cloth bags in your car (they’re cute, express your style AND your enviro-conciousness, and they’re sturdier than plastic bags which means less chance of broken eggs or squished bread!) Seasons The seasons of the earth are due to: the tilt of the earth During solstices, the sun’s ray’s hit the equator at 23.5° (angle of inclination) Summer solstice is June 21 Winter solstice is December 21 During equinoxes, the sun’s ray’s hit the equator at 90° Vernal equinox is March 21 Autumnal equinox is September 22 Effects of a Tilted Earth Differential Heating! Defines the amount of daylight for