GEOG 2050 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Thermal Energy, Black Carbon, Refraction
Document Summary
Difference between temperature and heat: temperature: is the measure o kinetic energy (the movement of air molecules) Energy of motion (molecules moving around: heat: is the flow of kinetic energy from one body to another , pause: isothermal (temperature: no change) boundary between atmosphere layers, high temperature. Not a lot of molecules to transfer kinetic energy: = high temp, low heat, air is thin. Molecules travel 10 km before colliding with each other: thermopause. Average upper limit: 480 km: temperature decreases with height, coldest portion of the atmosphere (-100 c, noctilucent clouds. Bands of ice crystals that glow in rare and unusual: temperature increases with height with absorption of uv by ozone (o3, heat source ozone, few clouds, little vertical mixing, stratosphere. 50 km: 0 degrees c (32 degrees f: surface height varies depending on latitude. 12 km at equator because of immense heating: heat source- ground, temp decrease with height, 90% mass of atmosphere, tropopause.
