Location of the sun
How does the tilt of the earth affect the seasons?
When the sun is overhead, the sun’s energy is more concentrated. / When the sun shines on earth at an angle, the heat is less concentrated (spread over a much larger area).While the amount of heat coming from the sun stays the same, it is spread over a larger area during the winter than during the summer. This is due to the earth’s tilt. In the summer, the sun shines almost directly overhead when the Northern Hemisphere is pointed toward the sun. In the winter, the sun appears to be much lower in the sky, and the same amount of sunlight has to cover a larger area.
"What Causes the Seasons?" What Causes Seasons? Web. 08 Nov. 2011. <
Amount of cloud cover:
Effects of Cloud Cover
on forecasted temperatures
During the day, the earth is heated by the sun. If skies are clear, more heat reaches the earth's surface (as in the diagram below). This leads to warmer temperatures.
However, if skies are cloudy, some of the sun's rays are reflected off the cloud droplets back into space. Therefore, less of the sun's energy is able to reach the earth's surface, which causes the earth to heat up more slowly. This leads to cooler temperatures.
"Effects of Cloud Cover." Effects of Cloud Cover. Department of Atmospheric Sciences. Web. 8 Nov. 2011.
Describe the amount of wind:
Wind is caused by high air pressure to low air pressure. low pressure is usually more moist and warm. wind will bring cooler air and if there is "wind chill" it means that the wind blows warmth off your skin and "make the air feel colder"
Wind does not affect temperature. Have you ever listened to the weather report and heard anything about the wind chill factor? The wind will make it feel cooler. It will affect the rate of evaporation, which will also make it feel cooler, but it will not actually affect the temperature itself.
"How Does Wind Speed Affect Temperature." The Q&A Wiki. Web. 08 Nov. 2011. <
Color of an environment
As heat energy reaches an object, it can be absorbed; in a similar manner to the way sponges absorb water. Heat enters an object, warming it. The longer the object is exposed to the heat source, the more heat that it absorbs.
Different objects absorb heat at different rates. Some objects are excellent absorbers, while others are very poor absorbers. Generally, dark colored objects absorb better than do lighter colors.
A dark object looks dark because of the total absorption of all wavelength and none of these wavelength reflected. But light is a form of energy expression, so knowing the law about energy conservation, we can conclude that the light absorbed by the dark object doesn't disappeared, but turned into heat, which is kept or emitted by the dark object.
So the conclusion is the darker the color, the better the heat radiation.
ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 08 Nov. 2011. <
Distance in the ground.
Temperatures below ground are relatively stable or constant compared to the daily and seasonal variations of above ground temperatures because of the insulating effect of the ground itself. (Very slow to warm up and very slow to cool down.)
At greater depths however temperatures, while stable, gradually increase and at the great depths some of our deep mines and drill holes are reaching the temperatures considerably above 50-55 as we get closer to the molten inner core of the planet.
The insulating effect of the ground contributes to making the air in working mines very hot because the heat generated in the mining activities does not dissipate very fast from the mine air into the surrounding rock and so ventilation is required to remove the hot air as well as maintaining oxygen levels.
Animals, in both hot and cold climates, often burrow to reach the stable cooler or warmer areas respectively, compared to above ground air temperatures. It is better, for example, to live at a constant 50-55 below ground in a desert than to live exposed on the surface and suffers temperatures that may vary from below 0 to over 120 in the course of every 24 hours.
Below ground cellars may seem cool however the main feature of cellars is the ability to maintain a constant temperature with a minimum of effort. Coober Pedy in South Australia is an example of a town built below ground to beat temperature variation as humans have done since before recorded history.
"The Energy Story - Chapter 11: Geothermal Energy." Energy Quest Room. Web. 08 Nov. 2011. <http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter11.html>.
The amount of shade.
In general, most people have their own concept of air temperature. Typical definitions of temperature includes "how hot or cold it is" relating to how they feel.
The temperature of the air is directly related to the amount of energy from the sun's solar radiation. The higher the temperature, the higher the amount of energy in the air. Temperature is measured using a thermometer with units in degrees Celsius (or Fahrenheit under the imperial system). The higher the temperature, the higher the measurement. Measurements of temperature of the air are taken away from direct sunlight or its reflected radiation. Meteorologists place thermometers in screens that allow air but minimal sunlight. In other words, air temperature is that measured in the shade. If you stand in sunlight, what you are feeling is the combination of the sun's radiation and the temperature of the air, which is warmer than the actual temperature of the air.
"Observing Temperature of the Air." Storm Weather Web. 08 Nov. 2011. <
Type of ground covering; Type of soil; Type of grass; type of gravel
Ground cover refers to the “clothes” the Earth wears on its surface. Ground cover can include grass, trees, pavement, houses, or just bare soil. Can you think of ways that ground cover affects the water cycle, the air temperature, and soil conditions? All are affected by ground cover.
Ground cover, microclimates, and living things all influence one another to create a specific environment within an ecosystem. A microclimate is the relatively uniform climate of a small site or habitat. Ground cover affects how, why, and where natural communities form. Ground cover also affects the water cycle.
The color of ground cover and the moisture it holds affect air and soil temperatures. Dark green grass absorbs the sun’s energy and heats up. But moisture in the soil may evaporate and slightly cool the air around the grass. If you walk across this grass in bare feet it will feel cooler than a dark road surface near it. The dark road surface absorbs energy from the sun. If the road has no water to allow evaporation to occur, it will feel very hot on your bare feet. A white concrete surface will reflect some of the sun’s energy back up. The concrete won’t feel as hot to walk on, but the air above it will be warmer!
Moanalua Gardens Foundation Legacy Website. Web. 08 Nov. 2011. <
How deep in the water
Temperature of Ocean Water
If you want to know about the temperature of the ocean, you have to learn about the parts of the the ocean first. The top part of the ocean is called the surface layer. Then there is a boundary layer called the thermocline. The thermocline separates the surface layers and the deep water of the ocean. The deep ocean is the third part of the ocean.
The Sun hits the surface layer of the ocean, heating the water up. Wind and waves mix this layer up from top to bottom, so the heat gets mixed downward too. The temperature of the surface waters varies mainly with latitude. The polar seas (high latitude) can be as cold as -2 degrees Celsius (28.4 degrees Fahrenheit) while the Persian Gulf (low latitude) can be as warm as 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit). Ocean water, with an average salinity of 35 psu, freezes at -1.94 degrees Celsius (28.5 degrees Fahrenheit). That means at high latitudes sea ice can form. The average temperature of the ocean surface waters is about 17 degrees Celsius (62.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
"Temperature of Ocean Water." Windows to the Universe. Web. 08 Nov. 2011. <
Distance from the water, wind blowing over water
Air Temperature, Water Bodies and Continentality
Air temperature is greatly affected by the location of a place relative to a large body of water. The impact of continental location on weather and climate characteristics of a place is called "continentality". Air temperature near or over bodies of water is much different from that over land due to differences in the way water and land heat and cool. Properties that affect water temperature are:
- Transparency
- Allocation of Q*
- Ability to circulate
- Specific heat
Figure 5.5 Land - Sea Contrasts
Water is a transparent medium and land is opaque. Water allows light to penetrate to depth, leaving the surface layers cooler than they would be if the surface was opaque. A cooler water surface results in cooler air temperatures above. When solar radiation strikes land, the energy is absorbed in a thin layer that heats relatively rapidly. Likewise, it readily gives up its heat to the atmosphere.
When radiant energy is absorbed by land, most of the net radiation is used for sensible heat transfer or ground heat transfer, only small amounts are used for latent heat transfer. As sensible heat transfer into the air is the dominant heat transfer, air temperatures increase over the land. Over water, much of the net radiation is used for evaporation. With little energy used for sensible heat transfer, air over water remains cooler than that over land.
Ritter, Michael E. The Physical Environment: an Introduction to Physical Geography.
Date visited. http://www4.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/title_page.html
Humidity:
Humidity is something we hear about daily in weather reports. Humidity is to blame for that muggy, steam-room feeling you experience on certain summer days.
Humidity can be measured in several ways, but relative humidity is the most common. In order to understand relative humidity, it is helpful to first understand absolute humidity.
Absolute humidity is the mass of water vapor divided by the mass of dry air in a volume of air at a given temperature. The hotter the air is, the more water it can contain.
Relative humidity is the ratio of the current absolute humidity to the highest possible absolute humidity (which depends on the current air temperature). A reading of 100 percent relative humidity means that the air is totally saturated with water vapor and cannot hold any more, creating the possibility of rain. This doesn't mean that the relative humidity must be 100 percent in order for it to rain -- it must be 100 percent where the clouds are forming, but the relative humidity near the ground could be much less.
Humans are very sensitive to humidity, as the skin relies on the air to get rid of moisture. The process of sweating is your body's attempt to keep cool and maintain its current temperature. If the air is at 100-percent relative humidity, sweat will not evaporate into the air. As a result, we feel much hotter than the actual temperature when the relative humidity is high. If the relative humidity is low, we can feel much cooler than the actual temperature because our sweat evaporates easily, cooling us off. For example, if the air temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius) and the relative humidity is zero percent, the air temperature feels like 69 degrees Fahrenheit (21 C) to our bodies. If the air temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 C) and the relative humidity is 100 percent, we feel like it's 80 degrees (27 C) out.
People tend to feel most comfortable at a relative humidity of about 45 percent. Humidifiers and dehumidifiers help to keep indoor humidity at a comfortable level.
HowStuffWorks "Learn How Everything Works!" Web. 08 Nov. 2011. <
Reflection:
The Basic Science: Reflecting or Absorbing Light
The full range of energy that radiates from the sun is called the “electromagnetic spectrum,” and it is measured by its “wavelength.” Visible light is medium wave radiation, and it is really just a tiny part of the whole spectrum. You see the span of visible light in a rainbow in the sky or when light passes through a prism.
The wavelengths that are just shorter than visible light are called “ultraviolet.” Wavelengths even shorter we call gamma rays and x-rays. Just above visible light, the wavelengths of solar radiation are called infrared. You’ve probably noticed infrared lights at a local restaurant. They are the orange-ish lights above the french fry platter that keeps the fries warm. Above infrared, the radiation at the very long-wave end includes radar, microwaves, and radio and television signals. Infrared radiation is converted to heat when it strikes surfaces on the earth. Light-colored materials reflect this radiation in exactly the same way they reflect light. Dark-colored materials absorb the radiation and get hot.
Absorption and Reflection. Web. 08 Nov. 2011. <