ERTH 2415 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8-9: Natural Disaster, Ocean Current, Cool Air
3 Dec 2015
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Albedo light from sun reflected back: about 30% of the sun"s light is reflected back from earth. Incoming sunlight strikes earth"s surface at steep angles, thus allowing a high percentage to be absorbed especially by sea water. Polar latitudes receive far less sun energy because the low angles allows a lot of radiation to be reflected back, thus making the areas cooler and increasing albedo. Earth"s spin sets heat moving atmosphere and oceans in motion. Gravity works to even out the unequal distribution of heat by pulling on the colder, denser air and water. Greenhouse effect gases in the lower atmosphere, such as water vapour, absorb much of the outbound long wavelength energy and then reradiate it downward to the earth"s surface. Coriolis effect the tendency of objects in motion on earth"s surface to be deflected by earth"s rotation: modifies flow directions of sea water.
