By: Owais Farooq

Hovo Khachikyan

Halim Hakimi 1

Table of Content Introduction

What is energy transfer

Absorption if the Sun’s energy

Energy Transfer in Atmosphere

Energy Transfer within the Climate System Diagram

Energy transfer in Oceans

Ocean Currents around the World

Citation

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IntroductionMost of the Energy on Earth comes from our sun

which releases number of different types of radiation. For

example Ultraviolet radiation which is a form of invisible

high-energy radiation and Infrared radiation which is a

form of a invisible lower-energy radiation. The Energy

can be transferred in Oceans and In the Atmosphere.

…

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What is Energy TransferYou have seen how the weather changes from hot to cold

or cold to hot, it gets warmer in summer and etc. The climate transports thermal energy from regions that receive a lot of radiation to regions that receive less radiation, that is transferring energy from place to place. If the Sun’s light worms you in summer, its also energy transfer but in deferent shape. Energy transfer is the transfer of energy from one body into another.

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There are two main ways of transferring the suns Energy around the Earth. One way is in the Atmosphere and the other is in then oceans. The energy coming from the sun is transferred by convection, conduction and lastly by radiation taking place in the atmosphere and the surface of the Earth.

Absorption of the Sun’s Energy

When Solar Energy reaches Earth, It is either reflected or absorbed.

Some solar energy is reflected back into outer space by clouds, by particles

In the atmosphere and also by Earth's surface which includes oceans. Almost 70% of the solar energy is absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere, water and land.

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Absorption of the Sun’s Energy

The absorbed solar energy by the Earth's atmosphere, water and land is converted to a thermal energy. A thermal energy is the energy which is associated with the temperature of a substance and changes of state. The Thermal energy causes land and water to become warmer.

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Absorption of the Sun’s Energy

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In this following diagram 6% of the energy is reflected by the atmosphere while 20% is reflected by the clouds and 4% is reflected from the Earth’s surface. While 16% is absorbed by the atmosphere and 3% is absorbed by the clouds and 51% is absorbed by land and oceans.

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Energy Transfer In AtmosphereAlmost all the energy comes from Sun. The sun

sends to earth 2 kind of radiation, ultraviolet radiation which is invisible short wavelength, and infrared radiation that is invisible with long wavelength.

Air at the equator heats up and becomes less dense. Colder denser air drops, pushing the warm air into the atmosphere. The warm air creates an area of low pressure. When the warm air reaches the troposphere, it cools down and drops back down to Earths surface. This movement of warm and cold air is called convection currents.

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Convection CurrentsThe pattern of convection currents at the equator is repeated at the poles. This is the reason why earth has permanent bands of high and low pressure. Convection currents are one of the main ways of energy transfer through the atmosphere. This way thermal energy is transported from the equator to the North and South Poles. Air currents that move from high to low pressure are known as winds. Winds blow in the same direction, from the areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. These prevailing winds move warm air from the equator to the poles.

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Energy Transfer within the Climate System Diagram

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Bends of High and Low pressure around the globe creates air currents (winds) that blow from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. Winds are named based on the direction they originate from.

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Energy Transfer in the Ocean…As you know from before, the colder the air is, the

more dense it is. This is how the Ocean works too. The water traveling to the North and South poles gets colder and saltier because when the ice is frozen over, it rejects the salt. The low temperatures and the saltiness make the water at the poles more dense.

Also, it works the way the air in atmosphere system. Warm water travels to South or North pole, when it gets cold, it comes back to the center of the earth.

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Climate Zones Warm ocean currents heat the air above them , this

warm moist air reaches the land and produces rain. This is how the affect takes place. The Gulf Stream currents give the northwest coast of Europe a warmer climate than it would otherwise have. Cold ocean currents cool the air above them, it cools the land and create desert areas.

California and parts of Mexico are cooler and drier because of the cold ocean currents.

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Ocean Currents Ocean currents have a major impact on the climates of

nearby land. Ocean currents act like conveyer belts, they move the water and its thermal energy from the equator to the poles and circulate all over the world.

Winds also cause ocean currents. Wind are the main cause of the Gulf Stream that transports warm water from the tropics up to the eastern coast of North America and across to Europe. Ocean currents have a strong affect on the climate of the land around them.

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Ocean currents around the World

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In this following diagrams the Red lines represent the warm ocean currents while the blue lines represent the cold ones.

Ocean Currents-Gulf Stream

The Ocean Currents act as conveyor belts which moves cold and hot water and at the same time It moves the thermal energy from the equator to the poles. The ocean currents are also caused by winds and one of the examples would be the Gulf Stream.

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Gulf Stream

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In this following diagram we can see the Gulf Stream which is in brightred colour representing the warm currents while the blue one represents the cold current. The Gulf Stream Is one of the Warm ocean currents and it transports and carries thermal energy

Summary - Overview Two types of Energy Transfer:

In the oceans and In the Atmosphere

Air and Ocean currents are the main ways that energy is transported around the earth

Ocean currents affect the climate of their surrounding nearby land.

Convection currents transport warm and cold winds all over the Earth

Gulf Stream is a very large ocean current which has changed the climate of many places.

Video:

http://www.brightstorm.com/science/physics/heat-transfer-and-change-of-phase/thermal-energy-transfer

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Citations "All About Frozen Ground: How Does It Form?" National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). Web.

10 Jan. 2011. <http://nsidc.org/frozenground/how_fg_forms.html>.

"Introduction to the Atmosphere: Background Material." UCAR | Understanding Atmosphere, Earth,

and Sun | Home. Web. 9 Jan. 2011. <http://www.ucar.edu/learn/1_1_1.htm>.

Adam-Carr, Christine, and Martin Gabber. "Energy Transfer: Oceans and Atmosphere." Science

Perspectives 10. Toronto: Nelson Education, 2010. 326+. Print.

"Thermal Energy Transfer - Free Science Videos by Brightstorm." Free Homework Help Videos from

Brightstorm - Math, Science, Test Prep - Brightstorm. Web. 18 Jan. 2011.

<http://www.brightstorm.com/science/physics/heat-transfer-and-change-of-phase/thermal-energy-

transfer>.

"Temperature of the Gulf Stream : Image of the Day." NASA Earth Observatory : Home. Web. 13 Jan.

2011. <http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=681>.

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