Heat Exchange Process

Question 1

What types of radiation does solar radiation include?

Answer 1

1. Infrared and Near-Infrared
2. Visible Light
3. Ultra-Violet

Question 2

How much of solar radiation is absorbed by the earth’s surface? What occurs to the rest?

Answer 2

• 46%
• Absorption by gases and particles in the atmosphere
• Reflection by clouds
• Scattering by dust and gases

Question 3

What is the circulation model?

Answer 3

Rising of warming air and lowering of cooling air.

Question 4

What is conduction?

Answer 4

• The process of heat transfer by direct contact

- Air is not a very good conductor

Question 5

What is convection?

Answer 5

Body of air is heated and rises

Question 6

What is the difference between latent heat transfer and sensible heat transfer?

Answer 6

1. Latent heat transfer is the energy absorbed or released from a substance during a phase change
2. Sensible heat transfer is the energy required to change the temperature of a substance with no phase change

Question 7

What causes a radiation inversion?

Answer 7

• Tend to form on clear nights with calm or light winds and are most noticeable around sunrise.
• Long wave radiation causes the air near the surface to become cooler than the atmosphere above.

Question 8

What is a frontal inversion?

Answer 8

Cold air mass merges with a warm air mass and the warm air mass is forced to rise up over the top of it, creating the inversion.

Question 9

What is a subsidence inversion?

Answer 9

• Forms with high pressure systems.

- High will force air to descend, adiabatic warming will take place, forming a layer of air warmer than that below.

Question 10

What is a turbulence inversion?

Answer 10

• When winds below subsidence inversion decouple from winds above inversion.
• Results in a cycling of air with air from above warming as it drops and air moving up cooling in a cycle.

Question 11

What inversion produces drizzle?

Answer 11

TURBULENCE INVERSION/SUBSIDENCE INVERSION

Question 12

What are some major effects of inversions?

Answer 12

1. Cloud Formation
2. Visibility
3. Turbulence
4. Wind Shear
5. Performance