GEOG 102 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Intertropical Convergence Zone, Dowsing, Solar Constant
Document Summary
Insolation: solar radiation (sun rays) received by a surface. 99. 9% our energy in earth"s atmosphere comes from the sun. Very little energy in our atmosphere comes from the earth. The energy that does come from earth is geothermal: volcanic activity, decay of radioactive substances, burning of organic materials. Irradiance: climatic and global variations in energy are ultimately caused by the amount of solar radiation received at the surface. Solar constant: average solar radiation received on a surface at the top of the atmosphere at mean (average) distance from the sun. Most of this energy comes at shorter wavelengths of energy, shorter than. Micrometer = 1 millionth of a meter. Depends on the duration and intensity of the insolation and on cloud cover. What controls duration and intensity: the rotation of earth on its axis and the constant tilt of the earth"s axis as it orbits the sun annually = control the amount of radiation received.
