ENVIRSC 1A03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Shortwave Radiation, Outgoing Longwave Radiation
7 Feb 2015
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Surplus energy moves toward poles (deficit regions) --> done through warm moist air, warm sea water. Poleward heat transport is a driving force of climate. Moving from solid to liquid to gas --> bonds broken. Function is to transfer latent heat --> evaporation, precipitation, runoff. Warming is occurring due to presence of: greenhouse gases --> co2, methane, nitrous oxide. Without greenhouse gases, earth would be frozen. The green house gases capture earth"s infrared energy and emit it back to the earth. Venus has an abundance of green house gases --> co2, there is a much stronger effect on. Incoming solar shortwave radiation is balanced by outgoing longwave radiation. Energy absorbed by earth - energy absorbed at the surface = energy recycled within the. If water vapor was no longer present in the atmosphere: -> less energy would be emitted back to the. Earth, hence there will be a net gain of radiation --> will be losing more energy to space.
