The interaction of air, land, water, ice and living things to determine Earth’s global climate.

Climate System

Air

Land

WaterIce

Living Things

The Sun

Earth’s Energy Budget

Components of Earth’s climate System

Nearly all of the energy on Earth comes from the sun

3 types of radiation:▪ Ultraviolet radiation (invisible, high energy)▪ Visible light▪ Infrared radiation (invisible, low energy)

Earth absorbs energy from sun

About 30% of energy from sun is reflected back to space by clouds, particles in atmosphere and Earth’s surface

70% is absorbed by Earth’s surface, clouds and certain gases in atmosphere

As Earth absorbs energy, it gains thermal energy and temperature rises

The surface then emits lower energy infrared radiation back out

A. Atmosphere – gases surrounding earthB. Hydrosphere - liquid water, water vapour and

ice C. Lithosphere - solid rock, soil, minerals (Earth’s

crust )D. Living things – all plants, animals, bacteria, etc.

Each of these components receive the sun’s energy, traps it, stores it, and transports it

from one place to another until it all radiates back out to space

5 main levels:

•Troposphere

•Stratosphere

•Mesosphere

•Thermosphere

•Exosphere

TrophosphereThis is the air we breathe:

78% nitrogen 21% oxygen 1% mix of argon, carbon dioxide,

helium, hydrogen and ozone

This is where weather occurs

Prevents harmful UV radiation from reaching us

The “hole” in the ozone layer Antarctica and Arctic both have “thin” ozone layers  Caused by CFCs – chlorofluorcarbons (pressurized spray cans,

refrigerators, air conditioners) Chlorine reacts with ozone molecules and destroys ozone

layer

1987 – Montreal Protocol governments around the world signed an agreement to stop

the production and use of CFCs success story and ozone recovering – 50 more years until

original thickness?

Harmful to humans health, damages buildings, affects plants and animals

 

UV RAYS + EXHAUST FROM CARS = TOXIC CHEMICALS + GROUND LEVEL OZONE

Photochemical Smog

Drive Clean • reduce smog-causing emissions from cars • all cars over 5 years old must be tested every two years

Liquid water, water vapour and ice

Water cycle

Factors that affect climate Presence of large bodies of water Presence of ocean or air currents

•energy absorbed when water evaporates from oceans and lakes cools it’s surroundings

•Energy given off when water vapour condenses into clouds warms surroundings

Earth’s crustsolid rock, soil, and minerals –

absorb energy

Factors that affect climate Land formations Height above sea level (altitude)

Plants and animals change gases in the atmosphere photosynthesis and cellular respiration

Carbon dioxide and methane absorb infrared radiation if amount of carbon dioxide or methane

changes it affects how much radiation is absorbed

A closer look at factors that affect climate

A. Distance from equator (latitude)

B. Presence of large bodies of water and presence of ocean or air currents

C. Land formationsD. Height above sea level

(altitude)

Latitude plays a role in determining climate because energy from the sun hits the Earth’s surface at different angles

•Closer to equator the sun’s rays hit more directly

•Closer to poles the sun’s rays hit the earth on an angle and energy spreads across a larger area and must go through more of the atmosphere

Climate Zones and Large Bodies of Water

Water absorbs and stores more thermal energy than land does This water heats up and cools down slower than

land does

Regions near ocean or large lake cooler in the summer than inland because water

takes a long time to warm up warmer in the fall as the water slowly loses thermal

energy Regions downward of water get more snowfall in

winter 

 Ice 2% of eath’s water is frozen

mostly at poles (Arctic Sea Ice and land-based ice sheets in Antarctic)

Also in glaciers in mountains – icebergs are glacier pieces that fell into the ocean

Permanent ice reflects more radiant energy than surfaces covered in soil, rock or vegetation much energy is reflected – adds to

coldness factor

Land formations

clouds blow up mountains and lose their moisture as rainfall

Other side of mountain - rain shadow effect

atmosphere pressure is lower the higher you go because there is less air above pushing down

Causes air from lower altitudes rises to higher ones – the air expands and cools down