Homework 3 Answers Chapter 4         20 points         

Define (1 point each):

Hadley circulation

 The process by which an air mass undergoes convergence at the tropics and divergence at about 30N or 30S latitude in one convection cell.

Obliquity

The angle of a planet’s spin axis relative to a line drawn perpendicular to the plane of the planet’s orbit around the sun; tilt.

Latent heat of vaporization

The energy required to effect a change of phase between a liquid and a gas. Converting a liquid to a gas requires an addition of energy; converting a liquid to a gas releases energy to the environment.

Latent heat of fusion

The energy required to effect a change of phase between a solid and a liquid. Converting a solid to a liquid requires an addition of energy; converting a liquid to a solid releases energy to the environment.

Fill in the blanks of the modified Figure 4-21 (below) (2points):

                                  Energy ( Absorbed)                 )

                               __sublimination____

          ___melting___________             ___evaporation_____

____solid_____         __liquid_____       _____gas____

           _____freezing_______             _____condensation_____

                                _____deposition_____

                                Energy (  Released  )

Review Questions (1, 3, 5) 2 points each

1. The two main functions of the global circulation systems are:

a.___Thermal balance____  which is maintained by…

transporting energy from the equatorial regions, where it is in excess, to the polar regions, where there is a deficit.

b.__ Chemical balance____ which is maintained by…

removing chemicals, particularly waste products, from their source regions to sinks.

3. a. see Figure 4-4 (something close to below)

                                       net radiation surplus

Energy 

absorbed

emitted

                              Net radiation deficit

             90               South          0             North           90

                                               Latitude

b.  There is a ___surplus____ near the equator and a _deficit______ near the poles.

c.  This distribution is important because it forces the earth to set up a circulatory pattern that moves energy from the equator to the poles.

5.a.  see Figure 4-6

b. The Hadley circulation changes seasonally because the ITCZ moves north and south with the seasons. See Figure 4-15 and 4-16 for visual (not necessary for full credit).

(extra info #9 next page) The Southeast Asian monsoon is driven largely by conditions on the Tibetan Plateau—the low pressures and strong convection in summer (which pulls moist air northward from the Indian Ocean) and the low temperatures, extensive snow cover, and high pressures of winter (which push cold, dry air southward over India and Southeast Asia).

9.Draw processes of the SE Asian monsoon (see Figure 4-19 for arrows) Please make your arrows visible (use marker or different color pen). (4 points)

				Dry
		High
						High

 

What are the 3 major reservoirs of water on Earth? What percentage of water is in each?

Fill in the blanks. (4 points)

1.The _oceans_______ contains __97__% of the water on earth in the form of seawater. 

2.The _atmosphere________ contains less than __0.001__% of the water on earth in the form of water vapor.

3. Land contains about ___3__% of the water on earth.  The land surface, in the forms of 

ice sheets, glaciers,  snow,  lakes,  and  rivers, and the land subsurface, in the form of _groundwater__________.  (there was an extra space here – sorry!)

One percent of all water found on land (or 0.03% of global water) is stored in _rivers_______, __lakes______, and soil.

About three-fourths of all water found on land (or _2.25_% of global water) is found in

polar ice sheets and about one-fourth (or 0.75% of global water) is found as groundwater.

Ch 4   Critical Thinking  -  Extra Credit (5 points)

2. a.b.The 2 feedback loops are intertwined as shown below. They are both negative.

    c. The negative feedback loops imply that ice sheets are stable with respect to disturbances. That means that they will not necessarily grow or shrink of their own accord—they will require prolonged external forcings.