Energy in the Earth System

Table of Contents

• The Atmosphere
• Energy Enters the System
• Global Climate Change
• The Weather Machine
• Climate

The Atmosphere

• Composition
• Structure
• Evolution

Composition of the Atmosphere

• atmosphere = mainly 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.09% argon
• small amounts of water vapor, ozone,carbon dioxide, helium, & hydrogen
• water vapor ranges 0-4% of atmosphere depending on location; ex: cold / dry = less than 1%, humid / wet = 4%

Structure of the Atmosphere

• 4 layers = Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere,

Structure of Atmosphere

• troposphere = lowest layer
• 0-12km above ground level, 75% of gases of atmosphere, where weather occurs, temperature decreases w/ height
• referred to as boundary layer
• atop troposphere = tropopause, separates troposphere and stratosphere

Structure of Atmosphere

• stratosphere = 2nd layer temperature = very consistent (-60 degrees Celsius)
• about 50 km above ground level
• contains ozone layer, which absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the Sun & traps heat from escaping
• ozone layer causes temperatures to rise in upper section of layer
• atop of layer is stratopause

Structure of the Atmosphere

• 3rd layer = mesosphere
• 50-80 km above ground level
• average temperature = -85 degrees Celsius
• air = too thin to breathe, air pressure is below 1%, pressure drops as height increases
• coldest area in atmosphere
• very small amount of water vapor on nickel to create noctitucent clouds
• mesopause separates mesosphere and thermosphere

Structure of the Atmosphere

• 4th layer = thermosphere
• altitude range of 80-700 km
• temperature increases with height
• temperatures as high as 1500 degrees Celsius
• contains ion particles
• radio waves are transmitted and reflected in this layer

Evolution of the Atmosphere

• ancient sediments prove that changes of atmosphere happen due to chemical reactions in the Earth's crust
• originally full of methane, ammonia, water vapor
• reconstruction of atmosphere = for the opportunity of life

Works Cited for The Atmosphere

• https://climate.ncsu.edu/edu/Composition
• http://teachertech.rice.edu/Participants/louviere/struct.html
• https://agriculturenotes.com/structure-of-atmosphere/
• https://www.britannica.com/topic/evolution-of-the-atmosphere-1703862

Energy Enters the System

• Relative amount of radiation entering
• Fate of incoming radiation
• The Greenhouse Effect

Relative amount of Radiation Entering

• radiation enters to our Earth at all times, some natural, some man made
• radiation from sun = filtered through north and south poles
• ultraviolet, visible, and limited portion of infrared energy ("shortwave radiation")
• heat resulting from absorption of incoming shortwave radiation = emitted as long wave radiation

Fate of Incoming Radiation

• reflection
• object that can absorb radiation = reflect that radiation
• from space, Earth appears bright / glowing, reflecting away the Sun's light
• albedo = the amount of radiation reflected
• Earth's albedo = 30% of the total incoming radiation from the Sun
• the other 70% of the radiation = absorbed
• the reflected radiation simply bounces off of Earth's atmosphere and = remitted into space

Fate of Incoming Radiation

• absorption
• solar radiation that passes through Earth's atmosphere = either reflected off snow, ice, / other surfaces / = absorbed by Earth's surface
• radiative exchange between surfaces / atmospheric layers is discussed to derive the concept of “radiative resistance”

Fate of Incoming Radiation

• photosynthesis
• photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) = light wavelength range, best fit for photosynthesis to happen
• photosynthesis = a process that needs light energy / optimally occurs in the 400 to 700 nanometer range
• plants appear green, chlorophyll in their cells reflects green light
• PAR that an area receives = important , different plants respond to different wavelengths of PAR
• most plants reflect green wavelengths while absorbing rest of visible light spectrum
• shade plants respond lower levels of PAR while sun plants harvest PAR more efficiently at higher light levels

The Greenhouse Effect

• greenhouse effect = exchange of incoming and outgoing radiation, warms Earth, often referred to as greenhouse effect because a greenhouse works in much the same manner
• about 30 % of radiation striking Earth's atmosphere = immediately reflected
• remaining 70 % of incoming solar radiation = absorbed by oceans, land, atmosphere
• carbon dioxide / other greenhouse gases act like a blanket, absorbing IR radiation and preventing it from escaping into outer space
• the net effect is gradual heating of Earth's atmosphere and surface, global warming

The Greenhouse Effect

• the world’s oceans = already risen 4-8 inches, but it has been enough to cause the erosion some islands
• ironically, changes in climate due to excess greenhouse gases are causing both increased drought / increased flooding
• violent storm activity = increase as temperatures rise / more water evaporates from oceans
• includes more powerful hurricanes / pacific typhoons / an increased frequency of severe localized storms / tornadoes
• storms = flooding / property damage, insurance premiums = skyrocketing in coastal areas as insurance companies struggle to cover escalating costs

Works Cited for Energy Enters the System

• https://science.nasa.gov/ems/13_radiationbudget
• https://www.fondriest.com/environmental-measurements/parameters/weather/photosynthetically-active-radiation/
• https://www.livescience.com/37743-greenhouse-effect.html

Global Climate Change

• Evidence of Climate Change
• Causes of Climate Change
• Man-made vs. Natural Climate Change
• Impact of Climate Change: current and future
• Stopping Climate Change

Evidence of Climate Change

• Earth's climate is always changing and always will change
• 7000 years ago mark beginning of newest climate era
• global temperatures = a drastic rise, about 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit / 0.09 Celsius
• temperatures = most drastic problem
• this rise is due to the increase of carbon dioxide being released into our atmosphere
• our oceans were absorbing this heat and continuing to rise
• our ice caps on our Southern and Northern poles are melting, loss of ice mass as tripled within the last decade

Causes for Climate Changes

• changes to Earth's climate = normal over periods of thousands of years
• theses changes happen due to continental shifts, release of gases into atmosphere, and human influence
• casual shifts in Earth's climate is expected and healthy for the planet, but not at this rapid pace it is currently changing
• due to natural occurrences, gases are often produced into the atmosphere, causing most climate to shift

Man-made vs.Natural Climate Changes

• natural occurrences that effect global climate change are greenhouses gases, volcanic activity, orbital changes, and solar input (heat)
• man made changes that effect global climate change is the intense usage of burning fossil fuels (coal / oil) and deforestation
• the intense usage of fossil fuels cause carbon dioxide to be released into the air, which is trapped in our atmosphere by the ozone layer in the atmosphere, this heats up our planet
• deforestation causes this heat to continue, trees absorb carbon dioxide
• without trees + the immense amounts carbon dioxide that is being produced = our planet's increasing temperature

Impact of Climate Change

• Currently: ecosystems are beginning to changeb due to the temperature continuing to rise
• species are starting to become extinct due to their habitat being changed
• precipitation patterns will become inconsistent
• more frequent droughts / heat waves
• all ice from poles = gone
• these changes will continue to get worse during this century

Impact of Climate Change

• Future: the impacts of this rapid global climate change are: the rise of sea levels (about 10-32 inches), more stronger hurricanes / storms / floods / droughts (more natural disasters)
• ecosystems will continue to change / species will continue to rapidly be going extinct due to the constant rise in temperatures
• weather systems on locations become more intense / drastic

Stopping Climate Change

• the first thing to help save our planet is to acknowledge that there is a problem and that humans are the main source of that problem
• using fossil fuels in mass production as we have it now is the main problem our Earth is dying, isntead of using fossil fuels in ways we do now, using other forms of energy: solar energy, geothermal, etc..
• using less plastic and more resuable items aslo help our situation
• recycling and reusing certain items that can be reused

Works Cited for Global Climate Change

• https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
• https://www.wur.nl/en/show/Causes-of-climate-change.htm
• https://climatechangeexplained.org/what-is-climate-change/natural-vs-man-made-climate-change/
• https://greentumble.com/3-main-natural-causes-of-climate-change/
• https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/global-warming-effects/

The Weather Machine

• Differential Heating impact
• The Coriolis Effect
• Temperature Inversions
• Ocean layers, Currents, and Distributions of life
• Rainforests and Deserts: Where and Why
• El Nino: Causes and Impacts

Differential Heating Impact

• differential heating impacts wind / air pressure / life on earth overtime
• wind is caused by air moving from a high pressure system to low pressure system
• this requires differences in air pressure which is caused by differential heating
• Earth depends on sun for energy that makes the processes of life possible; without sunlight there would be no plant growth / no breathable atmosphere
• differential heating in water / oceans = more evaporation, becoming more heated

The Coriolis Effect

• The Coriolis Effect: pattern of deflection connected to ground as an object travels long distance around Earth
• responsible for long term weather patterns
• effect is due to Earth's rotation; rotates faster at equator than poles
• northern hemisphere = deflection to right, southern hemisphere = deflection to left
• this effect = dependent on velocity and is most significant at high speeds / long distance

Temperature Inversions

• temperature inversions = reversal of normal temperature in troposphere, cool air layer at surface is covered by layer of warm air
• important role of precipitation, acts as caps for upward movement
• convection is produce by heating air from below its limited level
• diffusion of dust, smoke, and other air pollutants is limited
• regions low-level inversion = present, convective clouds cannot grow high enough to produce showers, visibility = reduced below inversion
• air near the base of an inversion tends to = cool

Ocean layers, currents, and distribution of life

• ocean layers and currents have an important role in climate and environment habitats (the distribution of life)
• ocean currents = continuous movement of water, usually vertical or horizontal movement
• surface layer of ocean = most sunlight, allowing organisms to photosynthesis, 5% ocean depth
• the twilight zone = 20% ocean depth, faint sunlight, allows no organism to photosynthesize
• the deep ocean = 75% ocean depth, no sunlight,
• animals learn to adapt to their habitats and evolve

Rainforests and Deserts: Where and Why

• rainforests = hot and wet, located at equator, constant mild temperature, humid, regular precipitation, abundance of animal life, disappearing quickly
• deserts = dry, located around 30 degrees latitude, little precipitation

El Nino: Causes and Impacts

• El Nino = warm phase of El Nino Southern Oscillation cycle
• cycle describes the fluctuations in temperature between atmosphere and the ocean
• naturally occurring linked to a periodic warming in sea surface temperatures across the central and east-central Equatorial Pacific
• occurs every 2-7 years, can last between 9 months and 2 years.
• trade winds push warm water on surface of ocean, east to west
• eastern side ocean = cold waters pushes up towards surface, difference in temperature, warm water to west and cold water to east.

Works Cited for The Weather Machine

• https://www.reference.com/home-garden/differential-heating-2575555b09db77b9
• https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/coriolis-effect/
• https://www.britannica.com/science/temperature-inversion
• https://ocean.si.edu/ecosystems/deep-sea/ocean-layers
• https://deepoceanfacts.com/effects-of-ocean-currents
• https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/what-is-el-nino.php

Climate

• Factors that influence Climate
• Evolution of Earth's Climate

Factors that Influence Climate / Evolution of Earth's Climate

• factors to influence climate change = elevation / altitude, wind patterns, topography, latitude, Earth's surface, and regular climate change itself
• global climate change is based on the annual increase in the average global temperature, the average temperature on Earth increases every year
• there is no doubt that current human lifestyles do add greenhouse gases into the air at a very high rate
• the Earth moves in and out of ice ages over somewhat regular intervals and has since before life and long before humans came into existence

Works Cited For Climate

• https://www.climateandweather.net/global-warming/factors-that-influence-climate.html
• https://www.internetgeography.net/topics/what-factors-affect-climate/
• https://www.thoughtco.com/global-climate-change-and-evolution-1224733