ES2007/ES8007/ES7013

CLIMATE AND CLIMATE

CHANGE
RADIATION PART III
Assoc. Prof. KOH Tieh Yong
School of Physical & Mathematical Sciences
Nanyang Technological University

DIFFERENTIAL HEATING

The radiative power per unit area emitted by the Earth is

roughly constant with latitude (yellow line).
The radiative power per unit area absorbed by the Earth
decreases strongly with latitude (red line).
This means that there is net absorption of energy by the tropics
and net emission of energy by the extratropics (orange line).

HORIZONTAL ENERGY TRANSPORT

As the Earth is in equilibrium,

The excess energy gained in the tropics must go to somewhere

The excess energy lost from the extratropics must come from
somewhere
So energy is transported from the tropics to the extratropics!
positive = northward transport
negative = southward transport

TRANSPORT MECHANISMS

The horizontal transport of

energy is carried out by

Hot
tropics

Cold
poles
latent
heat
released

latent
heat
absorbed

atmospheric winds:

Warm air moves poleward

while cool air moves
equatorward.
(sensible heat transport)

water vapour flux:

Winds carry water vapour

and rainfall/ snowfall
releases heat.
(latent heat transport)
warm current

Hot
tropics

Cold
poles
cold current

ocean currents:

Warm currents move

poleward while cold
currents move
equatorward.

WATER VAPOUR TRANSPORT

Look at the slide showing the horizontal energy flux again.

Latent heat or water vapour flux

converges at the equator => tropical forests

diverges at the subtropics =>deserts

converges at mid-latitudes => temperate forests

from https://sites.google.com/a/burltwpsch.org/nhanmo-flomo-3/chapter-2

LOWER TROPOSPHERIC WINDS AND RAINFALL

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/
products/Global_Monsoons/Gl
obal-Monsoon.shtml

UPPER TROPOSPHERIC WINDS

http
://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/250hPa/orthographi
c=254.75,2.07,247

OCEAN SURFACE CURRENTS

http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/ocean/surface/currents/orthographic
=254.75,2.07,247

OCEAN SURFACE WAVES

http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/ocean/primary/waves/orthographic
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