Explain how Earth’s atmosphere is heated. Describe the effect that the atmosphere has on absorbing, scattering and reflecting incoming solar radiation. List the gases in the atmosphere that are responsible for absorbing longwave radiation. Discuss the differences in the heating and cooling of land and water.

Atmospheric and Surface Heating

(From Applications and Investigations in Earth Science, Fifth Edition, Edward J. Tarbuck, Frederick K. Lutgens, Dennis Tasa and Kenneth G. Pinzke. Copyright © by Pearson Education Inc. Published by Prentice-Hall, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Lecture Reference Material:
• Chapter 4 (Surface Temperature and Its variation, p. 90-115)

Lab Objectives:
• Explain how Earth’s atmosphere is heated.
• Describe the effect that the atmosphere has on absorbing, scattering and reflecting incoming solar radiation.
• List the gases in the atmosphere that are responsible for absorbing longwave radiation.
• Discuss the differences in the heating and cooling of land and water.
• Summarize the global pattern of surface temperatures for January and July.
• Describe how the temperature of the atmosphere changes with increasing altitude.
• List the cause of a surface temperature inversion.
• Determine the effect that wind speed has on the windchill equivalent temperature.

Materials Needed:
• Lab Manual
• Textbook
• Pencil
• Colored pencils
• Calculator
• Laptop
• Light Source
• Black and silver containers
• Thermometers
• Bucket of sand
• Bucket of water