Differential Heating

We've concluded that different parts of the Earth receive different amounts of heat energy: closest to the center there is a high solar angle which means more intense heat, and farther from the center there is a low solar angle meaning less intense heat.

So, what does this actually mean? How does this translate into things happening in the troposphere? Start thinking about the bigger picture by answering this question:

Do you think different materials on Earth heat up differently? If so, explain? If not, why not? Speak specifically about soil, sand, water, and air.

Some days are longer than others....

Remember the chart we completed in class that showed the length of daylight in Berkely, California over the course of a year? Well, if you do, you'd recall the bar graph we made to represent our data. 

How does the graph we made in class compare to the graph pictured above? *The graph above shows the length of daylight in an unknown location in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Jam on a cracker or jam on bread?

A solar angle is the angle at which light from the sun strikes the surface of the Earth. Different parts of the Earth receive the suns rays at different angles. Light rays that shine from directly overhead have a high solar angle (usually about 90 degrees), while other areas of the Earth experience a low solar angle (as low as 15 degrees).

The way a light beam covers a larger area when it hits a surface at an angle is called beam spreading.

Think about it this way: If you spread soem jam evenly on a cracker and the same amount of jam evenly on a slice of bread, the jam will be thicker on the cracker than on the bread.

So, if you take the same size bite out of the cracker and the bread, which would give you the most jam?