GG231 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Suspended Solids, Lightning, Atmospheric Circulation
Document Summary
There are three main types of energy: potential energy: stored energy, for example water held behind a dam contains potential energy, kinetic energy: the energy of motion. Three major processes of atmospheric heat: conduction. The transfer of heat through a substance by means of atomic or molecular interactions, it requires a difference in temperature within the substance. (conduction of heat through a metal pot causes the handle to heat up: convection. The transfer of heat by the movement of fluid such as water or air. (water at the bottom of a pot heats up and rises to warm the cooler water at the top: radiation. Wave like energy emitted by a substance that possess heat through electromagnetic waves (hear is transferred from the stove to the pot) Earth receives energy from the sun, and this energy affects the atmosphere, oceans, land, and living things before being radiated back into space. Earths energy balance: the equilibrium between incoming and outgoing energy.
