GEOG 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Shortwave Radiation, Antarctic Circle, Latent Heat
Document Summary
A disruption in the earth"s energy balance results in a changing global temperature. The addition of more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere increases the amount of longwave radiation absorbed by the atmosphere. Although the earth maintains an energy balance, the balance is not evident at all latitudes. There is an energy surplus in low latitudes and an energy deficit in high latitudes. The tropics receive more energy than the poles because of the incident angle of the. Depending on the time of the year, the sun is directly overhead of a latitude somewhere between 23. 5 n and 23. 5 s. Result = a high solar angle at the tropics, therefore more energy impacts the earth"s surface there. Sunlight that strikes the surface at an angle is spread over a larger area than sunlight that strikes the surface directly. Sun rays at an angle deliver less energy to a surface than direct sun rays.
