The Physical Environment

THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

Group 2 Sity Maida - 3425111412 Luthfia Masykuroh - 3425111427

Animal Ecology Biology-2011

The Physical Environment

A field of Eucalyptus trees in Brazil.

CLIMATE
Climate is the long-term pattern of weather in a locality,
region, or even over the entire globe.

CLIMATE = WEATHER
Weather is the temperature and moisture conditions for a
specific place and time.

The difference between climate and weather

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUiwtVSkUwQ

SOLAR RADIATION and THE EARTH

A. ELECTRO MAGNETIC RADIATION

PHOTON WAVE FREQUENCY
wavelength is determined by the amount of energy in the photons. the shorter the wave, the higher the temperature.

Consider an iron bar in a blacksmith's furnace. As it heats it begins to give off visible radiation. It starts to glow red and, as it heats more, it glows with a white light. There are some lessons to be learned here.
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Why RED first?

Red light has the longest wavelength of visible light. Heating is not uniform throughout the rod, and each region emits photons directly related to the temperature at that spot.

Second lesson
Note that we do not detect all of the common wavelengths given off by the sun. A subset of shortwave radiation (roughly the same as visible radiation) is used by photosynthetic plants, algae, and bacteria to power photosynthesis. These wavelengths are referred to by biologists as PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation).
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THIRD LESSON
Radiation is emitted by the rod before we can see it glow.

YOU EMIT RADIATION INFRARED

FOURTH LESSON Infrared means below red. Thus, it is radiation with wavelengths below our power to detect as the photons do not have sufficient energy to initiate the physiochemical reactions we call vision. INFRARED NEAR INFRARED (700 to 4000 nm) FAR INFRARED (4000 to 1 million nm)

NIGHT VISSION

Fig. 1. Thermal Radiation

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B. HEAT and RADIATION

Recall that heat is kinetic energy, the energy of moving and vibrating atoms and molecules. Temperature is determined by the average speed of that motion (e. g. hotter gasses and liquids have faster moving molecules). Electromagnetic radiation is converted to heat when photons are absorbed by atoms and move faster as a result (we measure this as heating). Heat energy is converted to electromagnetic variation when a photon is emitted by a moving atom that slows as a result of the loss of energy (we measure this as cooling).

Fig. 2. radiation

C. GLOBAL HEAT BUDGET

The sun contributes almost all of the energy that drives climate and, ultimately, living systems. The sun's contribution is in the form of electromagnetic radiation.

Fig. 3. Heat Budget The atmosphere is densest at the surface of the Earth because gravity pulls the molecules of gas toward the center of the Earth. Gravity is resisted by the speed at which the molecules move (their temperature). So the atmosphere is thickest at the surface and becomes thinner as you ascend. But, the temperatures found as you ascend change abruptly and 10 this separates the atmosphere into four general layers.

ATMOSPHERE

Fig. 4. Atmosphere Layers.

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BUDGET FIGURES
At the surface of the Earth, energy is received from two sources : the sun (51 units) thermal radiation from the atmosphere (96 units)

Energy is lost through three processes : EVAPORATION (23 units) - evaporation is the loss of faster moving water
molecules from a larger body of water. As they leave, they become part of the atmosphere and the energy of their motion is lost from the surface of the Earth. CONVECTION BY THE ATMOSPHERE (7 units - called thermals in the book) Heat energy is transported either through Conduction (transfer of heat energy from molecule to molecule in a solid), Radiation (conversion to photons and loss through space) or Convection (transfer to molecules in a fluid - either gas or liquid). Air is heated by the Earth and expands, which decreases its density, and it rises as cooler, denser air displaces it at the surface. This convection constitutes a loss of energy from the surface of the Earth,

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 THERMAL RADIATION (117) - The infrared "glow" of the Earth's surface is a loss of energy.

THE LARGEST FLOW OF ENERGY IS THERMAL RADIATION (117units from the Earth, 96 back from the atmosphere ) The 96 units from the Atmosphere is the famous as gasses in the atmosphere absorb thermal radiation from the Earth and return most of it to the surface. Our effect on the concentration of greenhouse gasses is the basis of the worries about global warming. Note that the budget is balanced at the surface (51+96=147 units of energy gained and 23+7+117=147 units lost as thermal radiation)

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A. Seasonality
Seasonality in temperature is a result of the tilt of Earth's axis

Fig. 5. period of season in the earth

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 The tilt is 23.5 which enables us to divide the earth into

latitudinal regions
Arctic and Antarctic Circles dividing line between those regions that get 24 hr of sunlight at height of summer, 24 hr of darkness in depths of winter and those regions that get some dark and light periods every day Equator Circumference midway between N and S poles Tropics regions of earth where the sun is directly overhead at least once a year

Tilt divides up the year as well as the earth Solstices (Summer and Winter) shortest and longest days of the year Equinoxes (Autumnal and Vernal) days on which there are 12 hrs of sunlight and 12 hrs of darkness

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B. Wind patterns Wind patterns are caused by the effects of insolation and the rotation
of the Earth
Unequal heating causes winds as warm air rises and colder air move in to fill space vacated by heated air or warm air moves in to fill space vacated by sinking, cooling air

Fig. 5. global wind patterns

On global scale, hadley predicted hot air rising at equator and moving north where it sinks and then moves toward equator again.
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Such circulating movement is a Convection Cell zone of heating is where hot air rises Subsidence Zone is where air in upper atmosphere cools, becomes more dense, and sinks Earthward in reality, the circulation is not a single cell in each hemisphere, but is complicated by cooling of air before it reaches the poles this results in three convection cells in each hemisphere (from north to equator): Polar Cell 60 N or S rising air to polar subsidence Ferrel Cell 60 N or S rising air to 30 N or S subsidence Hadley cell - equator to to 30 N or S subsidence - The zone of rising air between the north and south Hadley cells is called the Intertropical Convergence Zone and is the area of highest rainfall, on average, on the planet

Fig. 6.

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C. Cariolis effect
Coriolis effect caused by moving N or S on rotating Earth person standing motionless on equator revolving faster than is person standing at polar circle

Fig. 7. cariolis effect

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D. Regions of Winds
Regions of Winds result from combination of convection cells and coriolis effect Horse Latitudes - 30 N or S subsidence zones no winds as air is sinking but not rushing to fill a void Doldrums- equatorial zone of rising air - no winds as air is rising but not rushing to fill a void Northeast and Southeast Trade Winds - zone between horse latitudes and doldrums where air is moving toward equator and is deflected to the left (east), so it appears to come from the east (northeast in northern hemisphere, southeast in southern hemisphere).

Fig. 8. region of wind

Westerlies - zone between horse latitudes and 60 N and S zones of rising air where air is moving away from equator and is deflected to the right (west), so it appears to come from the west (northwest in southern hemisphere, southwest in northern hemisphere)
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Regions of precipitation Intertropical Convergence Zone results in lots of rain in the tropics Subsidence zones result in dry regions at 30 N and S, where most of the deserts occur Rising air at 60 N and S results in a second peak in rain at these high latitudes, where most of the northern forests are Polar subsidence zone means poles are desert-like but cold. Snow accumulates because it doesn't melt.

Fig. 9.region of preciptation

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Ocean Currents Steady winds blowing over water cause water to move in large masses called currents results in moving warm waters northward or southward where, when they contact land, they can warm the climate of the land can also move cool water south (must do so to replace water moving north) with the opposite effect on the land's climate Where winds push water away from a continent, surface water can not fill in so water is drawn up from the bottom of the ocean basin this is a zone of upwelling and it brings nutrients from the lower waters to the surface where algae can use the nutrients to photosynthesize Upwelling zones are cooler than surrounding water and also very productive

Fig. 10. ocean current

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Local conditions Local conditions often alter global patterns Mountain chains cause Rain Shadows Windward side of mountains have air pushed up from lower elevations rising air cools (adiabatic effect) and drops moisture Leeward side of mountains have descending, heating air dry because it has already lost its moisture Fig. 11. process of rain shadows.

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ENSO (El Nio Southern Oscillation ) ENSO (El Nio Southern Oscillation) in the Pacific affects weather globally region of warm surface water in equatorial western Pacific Ocean prevailing winds push warm water west along the equator - moist air over warm area rises and drops lots of rain over western Pacific region - eastern side of Pacific has strong upwelling, leading to great fisheries production ENSO conditions alter this pattern - winds fail and warm water is not pushed west - warm water stays east and so rains fall on eastern side of Pacific (from Peru to California), often causing flooding - dry in Australia and Indonesia, often to the point of drought and fires in dry Indonesian forests can put so much smoke in the air that other parts of the world receive less sunlight

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Fig. 12. process of El Nino

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