GPHY 314 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Lapse Rate, Water Cycle, Pulpwood
Document Summary
Water cycle and feedback: the actual balance between feedbacks is an active area of climate science research. Increase condensation cloud formation increased greenhouse effect increased temperature (cid:498))t"s water vapour, not the co2(cid:499: why are we broadly talking about co2 (again and again) and barely about. Water vapour is the most important greenhouse gas: makes co2 effect much bigger (cause vs. effect) Humans are responsible for directly emitting this gas. Water vapour controlled by temperature feedback loop. Water vapour does control the earth"s temperature. Transports energy from low to high altitudes. Transports energy from low to high latitudes. Tradewinds from the northern and southern hemispheres meet at the. These large scale movements of masses of air alter the pressure (weight of air) at the surface. The itcz loses air (vertically and horizontally) = low pressure. The subtropics gain air = high pressure.