GEOS 102 - LAB 1

.docx

School

University of British Columbia *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

102

Subject

Geography

Date

Apr 3, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by DeaconClover13510

GEOS 102 Our Changing Environment: Climate and Ecosystems Lab 1 Lab 1: Energy and Climate Change Part 1: Daily Radiation Budgets Fort Peck, MT Q1. Q2. Name 2 variables that could affect the value of SW ↓ and SW ↑ 2 variables that could affect the value of SW ↓ and SW ↑ are the intensity of the watts and the time of the day. The two main variables that affect the value of SW ↓ and SW ↑ are thesurface albedo and solar insolation. Q3. Why do SW ↓ and SW ↑ have similar (if not the same) values between 3 and 11 UTC? SW ↓ and SW ↑ between 3 and 11 have particularly similar values because they lie within late in the evening and early morning (8 pm 4 am LST)), meaning that the amount of energy/radiation is relatively low during these hours.

GEOS 102 Our Changing Environment: Climate and Ecosystems Lab 1 Q.4 Why is LW ↑ greater than LW ↓? LW ↑ greater than LW ↓ because LW ↑ is the downwelling long-wave radiation that is emitted by the atmosphere. The earth absorbs a larger amount of radiation compared to the atmosphere; thus, energy reflects into the earth’s surface resulting in warmer temperatures. As a result, heat increases, as does long-wave radiation. Q5. Describe the diurnal pattern of total net radiation (Q*), and state which component of the radiation budget exerts the most control over Q*. The diurnal pattern of total net radiation (Q*) changes during the day and through the night as an increase begins at around 5 am when the sun rises and decreases at around 4 pm when the sun begins to set. Downwelling solar (SW ↓ ) exerts the most control over Q*. Desert Rock, MV Q6. (upload a screenshot of the graph, acquired by following the above instructions in “Accessing the SURFRAD dataset.pdf”, to canvas) Q7 . State 2 differences between the two sites and suggest some reasons for these differences in terms of climate and environment. [2]

GEOS 102 Our Changing Environment: Climate and Ecosystems Lab 1 The individual lines in the graphs are more consistent and rather smooth in Desert Rock, Nevada compared to Fort Peck, Montana where it appears to be spikier, especially during hours of peak radiation. This may be because Desert Rock, NV is closer to the equator, receiving more consistent solar radiation. Additionally, the watts/m2 of radiation differ, as in NV, most forms of radiation (SW ↓ and LW ↑ are pretty much the same) start at different, more spread apart watts, whereas MT displays starting watts that are much closer together. This may be a result of the differences in weather and climate in each location. Nevada tends to be warmer than Montana at this month of the year. NEXT: Calculate albedo and net radiation (see more in the endnotes)  Download the Fort Peck radiation data spreadsheet containing radiation data for a day in September 2022, in Fort Peck. Fill in the columns for albedo and net radiation using the following equations (if you do not know how to do calculations in an Excel spreadsheet, please await TA instructions): Net radiation ( 𝑸 ∗ ) = ( 𝐾 ↓ + 𝐿 ↓) – ( 𝐿 ↑ + 𝐾 ↑) = ( 𝐾 ↓ − 𝐾 ↑) + ( 𝐿 ↓ − 𝐿 ↑) (1) The albedo or reflectivity (α) of a surface refers to the proportion of incident short-wave radiation which is reflected by the surface: Albedo (α) = K↑/K↓ (to obtain percentage, multiply by 100). [2] Q8. At what time of day does the maximum Q* occur? [Note: you can use a function to query the Excel spreadsheet for MAX – ask your TA!] [1] Maximum Q* of 428 occurs at 12:46:59 pm Q9. What is the value of albedo at 0900 and 1700 hours*? Express answers in percentages (e.g. 10% not 0.1). Explain how albedo changes between these hours. [3] 9 am: 20% 5 pm: 22% Albedo at 5 pm increases by 2%. They both remain relatively similar in the 20% range; this may be because at 9 am the sun has just risen and is not at its peak of radiation for the day yet. In comparison, 5 pm is near the end of the day when the sun is just beginning to go down. 5 pm could also be slightly closer to the peak of solar radiation for the day, potentially indicating a slight increase in albedo. PART 2: CO2 , Temperature, and Climate Change [12 marks] There is a growing body of evidence and data on the issue of climate change. Some of this is outlined in Chap 7 of your textbook. You will need to refer to the endnotes at the end of this document for help with some of the questions.

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help