Exam 18: Energy Balance in the Atmosphere

Carbon dioxide and methane can trap heat in Earth's atmosphere known as ____________________ gases.

Snow has a very high latent heat in that it takes a lot of energy to melt the snow without ____.

Earth's surface emits ____________________ radiation, which has a relatively long wavelength and low frequency.

Why is carbon dioxide an important greenhouse gas?

Why do continental interiors show greater seasonal extremes of temperature than coastal regions?

When are the two equinoxes, and what does equinox mean?

The process that occurs when an electron falls out of an excited state is called the ____ of radiation.

When is the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere?

Water has an unusually high ____.

The amount of light that will scatter in the atmosphere depends largely on the frequency of the electromagnetic wave.

What is the difference between weather and climate?

What are photons and how fast do they travel in a vacuum?

If Earth had no atmosphere, radiant heat loss would be so rapid that Earth's surface would cool drastically at night.

On the ____________________, every portion of the globe receives 12 hours of sunlight and 12 hours of darkness twice each year.

About ____ percent of the incoming solar radiation reaches Earth's surface.

What does temperature do with elevation?

Describe the radiation balance for the Earth in terms of sunlight that reaches the Earth.

Locations at the same latitude that receive the same amount of solar radiation ____.

All areas of the globe receive the same total number of hours of sunlight every year.

Describe the surface of the Sun's temperature and the type of energy it emits.