GEOG 2050 Chapter : Chapter 5 Pt 2
Document Summary
Key terms: land-water heating differences, evaporation, transparency, photic layer, gulf stream, marine effect, continental effect, elevation vs. altitude, lapse rate. Insolation is the single most important influence on temperature: latitude, altitude and elevation, cloud cover, land and water differences, marine effect vs. continental, local impacts- microclimate, urban heat island effect (chapter 4) Insolation varied with solar altitude and time of year: seasonal variations- chapter 2, temperature: max near equator- always warm, temperature: min near poles- always cold. Cloud coverage: ~50% of the earth is covered by clouds, % albedo depends on cloud types, moderate temperatures, lower daytime temperature, increase nighttime temperature, most variable part of the climate system. Ocean is transparent: photic zone, light is transmitted, average 60m (200 ft, oceanography 200 m, max 300m (1000 ft, more depth/volume to store energy than land, water has higher specific heat, more heat stored, slower temperature changes.
