GEOG 2110L Lecture Notes - Sphericity, June Solstice, March Equinox
17 Mar 2014
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Document Summary
** > 99% of earth"s energy is from the sun. * amount of sunlight striking the earth varies spatially (over space or area), with latitude. * varies temporally (over time), with the changing seasons and between day & night. * amount varies with day length and intensity. * these variations cause an unequal heating of the earth surface which drives the ocean currents and creates wind, transporting energy across the globe. Rotation: the spinning of the earth about its axis. * 1 turn every 24 hours; defines day & night. * earth turns at different rotational velocity for each degree of latitude; ex: 0 = * turns counterclockwise, when viewed from above the north pole. * creates a circle of illumination between area dark and light. * atmosphere rotates with earth, held by force of gravity. Revolution: movement of the earth in its orbit around the sun. * 1 orbit every 365. 2422 days = 1 year (365 days, 5. 8 hours)
