GEOGRAPHY 3015A IT WAS AN INTERESTING SUMMER! 2 hours after the Lethbridge tornado IT WAS A TRAGIC SUMMER Atmospheric Scales Vary in SPACE and TIME MICRO 10-2 to 103 m Small-scale turbulence The Boundary Layer The portion of the atmosphere influenced by the Earth’s surface over a time period of one day Extends to height of <100m to 2km LOCAL 102 to 5x104 m Small to large cumulus cloud MESO 104 to 2x105 m Thunderstorms/Local winds MACRO 105 to 108 m Hurricanes, cyclones, jet stream Characteristics: Turbulence (i) frictional drag over surface (ii) convection Variable height (i) diurnal heating (ii) large scale weather systems affect stability Troposphere Extends to limit of surface influence (~10km) Atmospheric/Planetary Boundary Layer <100 m to 2km height (See previous page) Turbulent Surface Layer Intense small-scale turbulence from convection and friction ~ 50m by day, a few metres at night Roughness Layer Extends to 1-3+ times the height of surface elements Highly irregular flow Laminar Boundary Layer Non-turbulent, ~ 0.1-5 mm layer adhering to surface Vertical Extent The Earth-Atmosphere System First Law of Thermodynamics Energy can neither be created, nor destroyed Energy Input = Energy Output + Energy Storage Change The energy output is not necessarily in the same form as the energy input Modes of Energy Exchange in the Earth-Atmosphere System 1. 2. 3. Conduction Convection Radiation What happens to solar energy ? 1. 2. 3. Absorption (absorptivity=) Results in conduction, convection and long-wave emission Transmission (transmissivity=) Reflection (reflectivity=) + + = 1 The response varies with the surface type: Snow reflects 40 to 95% of solar energy and requires a phase change to increase above 0°C Forests and oceans absorb more than dry lands (later we’ll see why dry lands still “heat up” more during the day) Oceans transmit solar energy and have a high heat capacity Characteristics of Radiation Energy due to rapid oscillations of electromagnetic fields, transferred by photons The energy of a photon is equal to Planck’s constant, multiplied by the speed of light, divided by the wavelength E = hv All bodies above 0 K emit radiation Black body emits maximum possible radiation per unit area. Emissivity, = 1.0 All bodies have an emissivity between 0 and 1 Electromagnetic Radiation Consists of electrical field (E) and magnetic field (M) Travels at speed of light (C) The shorter the wavelength, the higher the frequency This is important for understanding information obtained in remote sensing Temperature determines E, emitted Higher frequencies (shorter wavelengths) are emitted from bodies at a higher temperature Max Planck determined a characteristic emission curve whose shape is retained for radiation at 6000 K (Sun) and 288 K (Earth) Energy emitted = (T0)4 Radiant flux or flux density refers to the rate of flow of radiation per unit area (eg., Wm-2) Irradiance = Emittance = incident radiant flux density emitted radiant flux density Wien’s Displacement Law As the temperature of a body increases, so does the total energy and the proportion of shorter wavelengths max = (2.88 x 10-3)/(T0) *wavelength in metres Sun’s max = 0.48 m Ultraviolet to infrared - 99% short-wave (0.15 to 3.0 m) Earth’s max = 10 m Infrared - 99% longwave (3.0 to 100 m) Transmission through the Atmosphere Some wavelengths of E-M energy are absorbed and scattered more efficiently than others H2 O, CO 2, and ozone have the strongest absorption spectra Transmission Light moves through a surface (eg. on a natural surface) Wavelength dependent (eg. leaves) Radiation emitted from Earth is of a much longer wavelength and is of much lesser energy Terrestrial radiation Microwaves are longest wavelengths used in remote sensing Solar radiation We are blind to everything except this narrow band UV are shortest wavelengths practical for remote sensing Characteristic spectral responses of different surface types. Bands are those of the SPOT remote sensing satellite. Atmospheric Windows In the diagram below, peaks are windows, while troughs identify wavelengths that are heavily absorbed WINDOWS ABSORPTION Diffuse (D) and Direct (S) Solar Radiation Clouds, water vapour, dust particles, salt crystals absorb and reflect some of the incoming solar radiation (K). Most is transmitted through clear skies (S) but some is scattered, resulting in a diffuse component (D) Clouds are very effective at scattering, resulting in D. The proportion of extraterrestrial radiation, Kext reflected, absorbed and transmitted define atmospheric reflectivity, a, absorptivity, a, and transmissivity, a Diffuse Radiation Measured using a shade disk Radiation from entire sky except from within 3 of Sun S is weaker when the zenith angle is large S = Si cos Z Why ? The beam is simply spread out over a larger area (Figure 1.7, p. 15) The total short-wave radiation received at the surface (K) is defined as: K = S + D A proportion is reflected: K = K Net short-wave radiation, K*, is defined as follows: K* = K - K OR K* = K (1- )