GEOG 1030 Lecture 10: ATMOSPHERIC TEMP, MOIST, PRECIP
10 May 2016
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Document Summary
Ocean currents play a major role in distributing heat around the globe. Microclimates- local atmospheric zones where the climate differs from surrounding areas. Effect on elevation on temperature: air is cooler at higher altitudes than at lower altitudes, at high elevations there is less air above you, so air pressure is low. There are also less molecules so the sun"s light becomes stronger. As a result, mean temperatures drop with elevation o. Environmental temperature lapse rate- the average rate at which air temperature drops with increasing altitude: above the troposphere, temperatures increase or decrease, depending on the gas composition of each atmospheric layer o. At higher elevations, there is less co2 and water vapor, so the greenhouse effect is reduced This makes surface temps drop at night o. Temperature inversion- a state of the atmosphere in which air temperature increases with elevation. When it occurs over cities, pollutants can become trapped near the ground, creating a temporary toxic air mixture.
