Assignment

Changes in the radiation balance in summer and winter

We discussed in the lecture that different parts of the earth can have different radiation characteristics. As shown in the lecture, the heating/cooling of the earth's atmosphere can be represented by the following symbolic equation:

{total heating} = {amount of heating from the sun} + {amount of heating from the radiation from the earth} + {amount of sensible heat} + {amount of latent heat}

Because the amount of insolation changes with season, the net amount of heating may also change.

1. Discuss how each of the terms in the above equation might differ (increase, decrease or no change) between the summer (i.e. June, July and August) and winter (i.e. December, January and February) seasons for the atmosphere above the following types of the earth surface:

a) land surface in the far northern part of Russia [i.e. north of the Arctic Circle (66.5oN)]

b) Indian Peninsula

c) Hong Kong The discussion should include an explanation of why you think such a change would occur based on what we have discussed in the lecture.

2. Human activities will change the land surface properties. Discuss how each of the following activities may change one or more of the terms in the above equation at that location:

a) converting farmland to a residential area
b) filling up lakes for housing development
c) logging in forests Changes in the balance of carbon due to human activities

3. In the hydrosphere, biosphere and geosphere, certain processes can be changed by human activities, and thus change the balance of carbon. Choose one process from each category and suggest how it might be changed by human activities, and what effect such a change will have on the balance of carbon (i.e. whether it will cause an increase or decrease in the amount of carbon in the atmosphere)