GEOG 2030- Midterm Exam Guide - Comprehensive Notes for the exam ( 63 pages long!)
11 Oct 2017
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Document Summary
Water vapour, the most important greenhouse gas in the earth"s atmosphere w/o it the earth would be much cooler. The main mechanism through which a gas absorbs infrared radiation is vibration. For a gaseous molecule to interact with infrared radiation there must be a change in the dipole moment during the vibration. Mostly molecules are neutral but the ones that are composed of more than one element have an unequal distribution of charge (electron density) Different atoms of elements have different capacities in attracting electron. The disparity in this electron attracting power is quantified as the dipole moment, which has both magnitude and direction. Governed by the difference in the electron attracting power and separation of the atoms. Different types of vibrations in a co2 molecule: symmetrical, asymmetrical, bend. Solar radiation incoming is absorbed by the gases in the atmosphere and re-emitted at longer wavelength as infrared radiation. Thermal equilibrium: incoming and outgoing radiation is the same.
