Directorate: Curriculum FET

SUBJECT AND GRADE GEOGRAPHY GRADE 11

TERM 1 Week 1: Lesson 1
SUBJECT Energy balance of the earth
PURPOSE OF THE • To strengthen your knowledge, understanding and interpretation the earth’s energy balance
LESSON • To understand how winds and oceans transfer and displaces energy.
SOURCES Paper based sources Digital sources
• Lesson on pages 2 to 4 Video: Differential Heating
• Learner tasks on page 5 and 6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fd03fBRsuU
• Refer to your textbook. Read the topic: Video: What causes seasons?
Earth’s energy balance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjNgyAOgp70
Video: The Gulf Stream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NthIpxsxvjI

INTRODUCTION As background you should remember the following from Grade 10 • Learner activity 1 is a revision
• The composition and structure of the atmosphere. task on the work of Grade 10.
• Heating of the atmosphere
• Moisture in the atmosphere.
• Read and interpret synoptic weather maps.
CONCEPTS AND You must know: You must be able to:
SKILLS • How the atmosphere is heated up and why is it irregular. • apply knowledge and concepts on
• How the daily insolation and energy loss results into the various geographic sources.
energy balance. • read and interpret sources such as
• The causes of seasons as a result of the earth’s axis and graphs, maps, world maps,
revolution around the sun. infographics, diagrams to answer
• The results of winds and oceans on the transfer and data response questions & write a
displacement of energy. paragraph.

ACTIVITIES/ Complete the attached activities as well as those in your textbook

ASSESSMENT
CONSOLIDATION You must study this topic by asking key Geographic questions such as: What is it? Why is it there? What
does it look like? What is the effect?
VALUES It is important to understand that the energy balance of the earth, seasons,winds and oceans are
necessary for sustainable life circumstances.
Acknowledgement: Via Afrika Gr11 Geography
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 SUBJECT: THE EARTH’S ENERGY BALANCE
Study this topic with the following questions in mind!

How are the • Incoming radiation from the Sun is mainly higher
Earth’s energy, short-wave radiation that heats the Earth’s
atmosphere surface. The heated Earth radiates lower energy,
unequaly heated long-wave, infrared energy back into the
up? atmosphere. This heats the atmosphere.
• The incoming solar energy that reaches the Earth’s
surface is called insolation and is unevenly
distributed over the Earth.
• More insolation reaches the surface in the tropics
than in the polar regions. In the tropics, the Sun’s
rays come in nearly perpendicular to the surface.
At the poles the surface is angled away from the
incoming rays of the Sun.

Why is it colder at • The Sun’s rays have to travel through a thicker

the poles? atmospheric layer
• Energy is lost through absorption, scattering and
reflection.
• The energy of the incoming radiation is spread over
a larger area.
• Shiny white ice and snow reflect more of the
incoming energy into space.

What are the • Between the tropics, the angle of incoming solar
effects of rays is high. More energy is gained than lost, so it is
unequal heating hotter.
on the Earth’s • In the polar regions, the angle of incoming solar
energy balance? rays is low, so solar heating is low.
• More heat is reflected into space. More energy is
lost than gained and there is an energy deficit.
• Near 37° both north and south of the equator, a
balance exists between energy gained and
energy lost.

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 The importance of the earth’s rotation and revolution around the Sun
What causes • It results into the origin of seasons where the distance to Sun varies on a
seasons? predictive manner to create summer, autumn, winter and spring.
• What are the causes of the seasons?

How does the • Earth’s axis is tilted.

seasons • It is summer in each hemisphere when that hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun because it has longer daytime
influence the hours.
Earth’s energy • In winter, when a hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, it receives and retains less incoming radiation.
balance? • Twice a year, at the equinoxes on 21 March and 23 September, the Sun is directly overhead the equator and all
places on Earth have a 12 hour day and a 12 hour night. Both hemispheres will get equal solar radiation.
• At the solstice on 21 June, the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun. The longer days and shorter nights
cause the northern hemisphere to receive more insolation and to experience summer. The southern hemisphere is
tilted away from the Sun. This causes shorter days and longer nights. There are winter conditions.
• On December 21 the reverse happens with long days, short nights and summer in the southern hemisphere. The
northern hemisphere has long nights, short days and winter.
The role of winds and ocean currents in the transfer of energy
There is a positive heat balance within the tropics, and a negative heat balance in the polar regions. But the Earth does not steadily
get hotter at the tropics or colder at the poles. There is a balance between incoming solar radiation and outgoing radiation from the
Earth. This happens through two major transfers of heat, 80% by wind and 20% by water.

How do winds • The uneven heating of the Earth causes pressure differences because warm
contribute to air is less dense and tends to rise. This difference creates a pressure gradient
heat transfer? force and causes wind to blow from regions of high pressure (HP) to regions
of low pressure (LP).
• Imagine an Earth with no features that does not turn. See Figure to the right)
• Under such circumstances a belt of low pressure forms in the hot equatorial
regions while a belt of high pressure forms over the cold polar areas.
• The pressure difference causes cold, dry winds to flow from the polar high
pressure

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 • At the equator, warm moist air rises. This warm air diverges in the
upper atmosphere and flows towards the poles.
• Over the polar regions, the air cools, becomes more dense, and
sinks down back towards the surface.
• But the Earth does have features of land and sea and it does turn
around on its axis so there is not a steady flow of air from the poles
to the equator and back to the poles.
The Earth rotates from west to east and
Coriolis force deflects winds in the northern
hemisphere to the right and in the southern
hemisphere to the left.
For more information on the Coriolis Force
see next lesson.

How do oceans Surface ocean currents

contribute to the
transfer of heat? • Warmer Ocean currents carry the
stored heat from the tropics towards
the polar latitudes.
• Colder ocean currents from the higher
latitudes carry water to the lower
latitudes, where it is heated again.
• The influence of the Coriolis force:
• In the northern hemisphere the surface
currents mostly curve to the right. In
the southern hemisphere they curve to
the left.

Deep ocean currents

• There is also a transfer of energy by deep ocean

currents.
• This is due to differences in the density of ocean
water, depending on its temperature and salinity.
• Together the surface ocean currents and the deep
ocean currents make up the ‘Ocean Conveyor Belt’,
which plays a major role in moving heat from the
tropics to the polar regions.

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LEARNER ACTIVITY 1: CONSOLIDATION GRADE 10

1.1 Give a brief description of the following concepts:

• Atmosphere, Lithosphere, Hydrosphere and Biosphere

• Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere and Thermosphere.

• Ozone.

• Insolation, absorption, scattering and reflection.

• Radiation, Conduction and convection.

1.2 Briefly explain the following:

a. The composition of the atmosphere.

b. The structure of the atmosphere.

c. The relationship between density and air pressure in the atmosphere.

d. The causes and effect of ozone depletion.

e. Methods to reduce ozone depletion.

f. Heating of the atmosphere:

• distribution of insolation
• transfer of energy from the earth’s surface.

g. Factors influencing temperature at different locations

1.3 Write a paragraph of EIGHT lines and discuss the causes and effects of ozone
depletion.

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LEARNER ACTIVITY 2: ENERGY BALANCE OF THE EARTH

2.1 Give a brief description of how the atmosphere is heated up?

2.2 Explain why insolation differs between the tropics and the poles.

2.3 Briefly explain why it is colder at the poles?

2.4 What are the causes for seasons?

2.5 Copy the figure of seasons below into your workbook and add the following annotations:

• Seasons in each hemisphere

• Ecliptic
• Solstices and equinoxes
• Position of the Sun at each season
• Length of day and night

2.6 Give a brief explanation for the positive heat balance at the tropics and a negative heat
balance at the poles.
2.7 Explain the concept of Coriolis force.
2.8 Explain how winds contribute to the transfer of energy between the tropics and the poles.
2.9 Write a paragraph of EIGHT lines and explain how surface ocean currents contribute to the
transfer of heat.
2.10 Write short notes on how deep ocean currents contribute to the transfer of heat.