GEOL 150Lg Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Permafrost, Thermal Expansion, Sea Level Rise
Document Summary
Liquid water sets our planet apart from all other planets in our solar system. The sun constitutes about 99. 9% of all the energy available on our planet. The distance between the sun and earth is precisely defined to allow the existence of. Sun fuses 620 million metric tons of hydrogen each second. If more energy comes in than goes out (atmosphere) then the earth will heat up. Divide globe into 5" by 5" grid. For ocean air temps, scientists prefer sst (sea surface temps) The amount and the wavelength affect the temperature. Radio (low frequency, long wavelength, low energy) The absolute accuracy of satellites is about 1 degree. We"ve seen evidence of a 0. 5*c warming in the 20th century. Only ice sheet melting affects sea level. Ocean basins expand and contract due to plate tectonics. Dramatic change in sea level due to collapsing of ice sheets.
