Download Energy Transfer in the Environment A. Earth`s energy is provided by

Name _______KEY________________________ Date __________________________ Class _______ Chapter 12 Sections 2 & 4-­‐6 (Atmosphere & Weather) Energy Transfer in the Environment A. Earth’s energy is provided by the Sun. B. Energy is important to us because it: a. Drives winds & ocean currents b. Allows plants to grow to produce food c. Provides nutrition for many animals C. When Earth receives energy from the Sun, three things may happen to the energy: a. Reflected back into space b. Absorbed by the atmosphere c. Absorbed by land and water. Heat is energy that flows from an object with a higher temperature to an object with a lower temperature. Does land or water absorb the Sun’s energy faster? Land Why? Land heats faster because it takes more energy to warm up a body of water than it does to warm up an equal area of land. D. Three ways heat is transferred through the atmosphere: a. Radiation is energy (heat) that is transferred in the form of rays or waves. Earth radiates some of the energy it absorbs from the sun and back toward space. It’s also how you feel the warmth of the sun on your face. b. Conduction is energy transfer of energy (heat) when molecules bump into one another. Molecules are always in motion. When warmer, faster moving objects touch cooler, slow moving objects energy is transferred. c. Convection is the transfer of energy (heat) by the flow of material. As air is warmed, the molecules move apart resulting in less dense air. Air pressure decreases because the air is less dense. In cold air, molecules move closer together so the air is denser resulting in higher pressure. Cooler, denser air sinks while warmer; less dense air rises forming convection current. Air movement A. How is wind formed? Wind is the movement of air from an area of higher pressure to an area of lower pressure due to the uneven heating of Earth’s surface. B. Do different areas of Earth receive different amounts of radiation from the sun? Yes Why? Because the Earth is curved, the Equator receives more radiation than the areas to the North & South of the equator. C. The cold, denser air coming from the poles receives less radiation from the Sun. This makes the air at the poles much cooler. This results in the dense, high pressure air sinking and moving along Earth’s surface. D. The Coriolis Effect: When the rotation of Earth causes moving air and water to appear to turn to the right in the North of the equator and to the left South of the equator. E. What are Global Winds? The wind patterns that help ships to navigate the oceans (especially early sailors). These winds blow all over the globe and they are based on temperatures. There are three different surface winds: Trade Winds, Prevailing Westerlies, Polar Easterlies a. Trade Winds: Also called Tropical Winds Used by sailors to establish early trade routes Found at 30º North and South Latitude b. Prevailing Westerlies Blow in opposite direction from the trade winds Responsible for much of the movement of weather across N. America Found between 30° and 60 ° Latitudes c. Polar Easterlies: Found near the poles Near the North Pole, they blow from Northeast to Southwest Near the South Pole, they blow from Southeast to Northwest F. Winds in the Upper Troposphere Narrow belts of strong winds called Jet Streams, blow near the top of the Troposphere. Features of Jet Streams: a. Form at the boundary of cold, dry polar air to the north and warmer, more moist tropical air to the South. b. Moves faster in the winter because the difference between the cold air and warm air is greater! c. Helps move storms across the country. d. Pilots when flying eastward take advantage and save time and fuel. G. Local Winds Systems affect our local weather patterns Sea breeze is the movement of air toward the Land from the sea (water). These winds are created during the day because solar radiation warms the land more than the water. Air over the land is heated by conduction. This heated air is less dense and has lower pressure. Cooler, denser air over the water has higher pressure and flows toward the warmer, less dense air. Resulting in convection current that blows wind from the water (sea) toward land. Land breeze is the movement of air toward the Sea (water) from the land. At night the land cools much more rapidly than the ocean water. Cooler, denser air above the land moves over the water, as the warm air over the water rises.