Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
KEY POINTS
The details of the atmospheric energy system may appear complicated but the system is very important as
the driving force of our present-day climates. To recap what happens:
1
Energy enters from the sun.
2
It is reflected, scattered, absorbed and reradiated within the system but does not form a uniform distribution.
Some areas receive more energy than they lose; in other areas the reverse occurs.
3
If this situation were able to continue for long the areas with an energy surplus would get hotter and those
with a deficit would get cooler.
4
This does not happen because the temperature differences produced help to drive the wind and ocean
currents of the world. They carry heat with them, either in the sensible or in the latent form, and help to
counteract the radiation imbalance.
5
Winds from the tropics are therefore normally warm, carrying excess heat with them. Polar winds are
blowing from areas with a deficit of heat and so are cold.
6
Acting together, these energy transfer mechanisms help to produce the present climates of the earth.
FURTHER READING
Barry, R. G. and Chorley, R. J. (2003) Atmosphere, Weather and Climate, eighth edition, London: Routledge (
chapter 3).
A popular textbook, now in its eighth edition, which covers the whole field of climatology in considerable detail.
Chapter
3
is not always easy to absorb but provides good coverage of atmospheric energy and heat.
Hartmann, D. L. (1994) Global Physical Climatology, San Diego, CA: Academic Press (
chapters 2,
3
and
4
). A modern
replacement of Sellers's classic
Physical Climatology. It is pitched at quite an advanced level but includes data from
satellites.
Hidore, J. J. and Oliver, J. E. (2001) Climatology: an atmospheric science, second edition, New York: Macmillan
(chapters
2,
3
and
4).
An elementary textbook which introduces the processes of climate changes through time. Also looks at
human impact on the energy budget.
WEB RESOURCES
http://jwocky.gsfc.nasa.gov/ O
fficial website for NASA's Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer. Gives information about the
recent levels of ozone in the stratosphere and trends over time. Also includes links to an electronic text about ozone,
its properties and characteristics.
http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/erbe/ASDerbe.html A
nother NASA site, this one is concerned with the Earth Radiation
Budget Experiment. Information is available about a wide range of aspects of long- and short-wave, and net radiation.
http://www.ucar.edu/learn/index.htm A
teaching website that is intended to increase awareness of atmospheric science.
Covers a wide range of subject matter in an authoritative manner.
