Intro to Geography

• Atmospheric gases and dust physically interact with insolation.
  Gas molecules redirect radiation, changing direction of the light’s movement without altering its wavelengths
  represents 7% of Earth’s reflectivity or albedo
  Dust particles, pollutants, ice, cloud droplets and water vapor produce further scattering.
  

The shorter the wavelength, the greater the scattering,
The hotter the surface, the shorter the wavelengths are emitted

The longer the wavelenght the lesser the scattering.

Albedo Percentages: Light surfaces are more reflective than dark surfaces, thus lighter surfaces have higher albedo values

Shifts its direction, a bending action called refraction
example: prism refracts light passing through it

The Albedo is the reflective quality or intrinsic (true, real) brightness of a surface. It is important control over the amount of insolation that is available for absorption by a surface.

A portion of arriving energy bounces directly back into space without being absobred or performing any work--this is the reflection process.

The assimilation of radiation by molecules of matter and its conversion from one form of energy to another

The molecule-to-molecule transfer of heat energy as it diffuses thought a substance

As molecules warm, their vibration increases, causing collisions that produce motion in neighboring molecules, thus transferring heat from warmer to cooler materials

Gasses and liquids also transfer energy by movements called convection, when the physical mixing involves a strong vertical motion

When horizontal motion dominates

Temperature differences between land and water bodies Between darker and lighter surfaces,

Air mass movements and weather systems
Internal motions deep within Earth that produce a magnetic field

Horizontal movement of winds from land to sea and back
horizontal transfer of heat by the wind

A pan of water on the stove illustrates heat transfer