GEOG 2110L Lecture Notes - Heat Flux, Calorie, Atmospheric Circulation
17 Mar 2014
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Heat: the total kinetic energy of all the atoms and molecules of an object or substance. * calorie = heat required to raise the t of 1 gram of water by. Conduction: the transfer of energy through matter by molecular activity, the direct contact and transfer from one molecule to the next. * heat flows from high t to low t . * good & poor conductors of heat; metal (and ground) is a good conductor. * insulators are poor conductors of heat, ex: air. Convection: transfer of heat by mass movement within a substance. Most important mechanism for heat transfer in the atmosphere. * in the atmosphere, air is heated at the surface and then rises in mass. * the sensible heat flux is one component of this, (the dry component) * evaporation/condensation, or latent heat flux, is the other component of convective heat transfer, (the wet component)
