Chapter Review Questions Assess your understanding of concepts related to this chapter by answering the questions below. Click the question to reveal the correct answer.
Insolation: highest amount in the tropical/subtropical deserts; minimum at the poles. Net radiation: maximum in the tropical/subtropical oceans; minimum at the poles.
Albedo is the proportion of light reflected from the surface. It is mostly determined by the color of the surface though sun angle influences albedo for some surfaces like water.
The amount of radiation emitted by a body depends on the temperature of the emitting body.
Sun angle is a largely determined by the tilt of Earth's axis. The sun angle varies by latitude, time of day. time of year, and slope of the surface.
A gas that is a selective absorber is one that absorbs only particular wavelengths of light. The gasses of Earth's atmosphere are considered selective absorbers as they tend to allow shortwave solar radiation through but absorbs longwave radiation emitted by the surface.
Conduction is the heat transfer via molecular collisions.
Convection is heat transfer by circulation.
Radiation is heat transfer via electromagnetic radiation.
The maximum wavelength of emission depends on the temperature of the emitting body, the hotter the body the shorter the maximum wavelength of emission. The Sun being much warmer than the Earth emits most of its energy in the shortwave end of the electromagnetic spectrum while the Earth emits its energy in the longwave end of the electromagnetic spectrum.
They block incoming solar
radiation reflecting it of their top and back out to space. They
diffuse incoming solar radiation as well.
Net radiation is an accounting
of incoming and outgoing components of radiation. It also is the
amount of energy used to do work in the earth system.
There is a net gain of
radiation between about 38o North and South latitude. Poleward of
these latitudes there is a net loss of radiation.
There is more latent heat flux
in a humid region because there is more water available than in a
desert region.
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