Weather Part 1Heat Transfer and Solar Radiation

Consider This: You are spending the day at the beach. You are

lying on your towel. You feel the soothing warmth on your skin. A breeze wafts by and you feel cool, momentarily. The sun continues to beat down on you and you start to feel uncomfortably warm. You stand up and walk towards the water. The sand is hot and feels like it is burning the bottom of you feet. You step into the water. It feels chilly, but you quickly adapt and enjoy the swim. When you get out of the water, the air feels cool and you start to shiver. You grab your towel, dry off, and lay in the sun again, feeling comfortable.

How is solar energy interacting with air, land, and water?

Heat

Thermal energy transferred from one object to another.

Goes from high to low thermal energy.hot to cold

The Heating Song

Heat Transfer

Conduction:

Heat transfers by collisions between particles. Usually between solids.

Heat Transfer

Convection:

Heat transfers by high energy particles moving and rising.

Usually with liquids and gases.

Hot particles rise (less dense) Cold particles fall (more dense) This creates convection currents.

Heat Transfer

Radiation:

Heat transfer through electromagnetic waves.

Waves transport energy through space.

They release it when they interact with something.

Consider This:

Think back to the beach scenario:

When did radiation take place? Heat from sun reaches your skin.

When did conduction take place? Hot sand on your feet.

When did convection take place? Water is warmer at the surface.

Solar Radiation

The primary source of heat for soil and water.

Helps drive all weather systems!

When it enters the atmosphere: Some is reflected back to space. The rest is absorbed by the atmosphere or

Earth’s surface.

Earth’s Energy Budget

Helps maintain Earth’s constant temperature.