Amount of heat received from the sun is returned to space, thereby maintaining constant temperature at the earth’s surface and in the atmosphere
Image of Short and Long Wave Solar Radiation
Reflected amount of radiation is known as albedo
65 units are absorbed (14 within atmosphere and 51 (as 17 and 34) by earth’s surface
34 units absorbed by atmosphere are seen in 2nd diagram as (6, 9 and 19)
Total radiation that returns is 17+48=65 units
The 65 units absorbed and radiated balance and we have a heat budget
Some latitude have surplus while others have deficit heat budget
Image of Solar Radiation and Terrestrial Radiation
Surplus heat from tropics is redistributed polewards – so tropics are not heated by surplus heat accumulation
Interaction of insolation and earth’s surface creates heat (molecular movement of particle) – measured as temperature (degree of hotness or coldness)
Temperature is influenced by:
Latitude of place – temp. depends on insolation
Altitude of place – near sea level have higher temperature, rate of decrease is 6.5 per 1000 m
Distance from sea & mass circulation – sea gets heated slowly and land gets heated quickly causing land and sea breeze
Air mass and presence of warm and cold current – affects temperature, places close to warm current record higher temperature
Local aspects
Isotherm – line joining places of equal temperature
Isotherms are parallel to latitude – deviation is more in Jan than July mainly in northern hemisphere (more land)
Deviation is northward over ocean and southward over continent in North Atlantic Ocean. Presence of warm ocean currents, Gulf Stream and North Atlantic drift, make Northern Atlantic Ocean warmer and the isotherms bend towards the north.
More pronounced in Serbian plains.
Image of Distribution of Temperature in January
Image of Distribution of Temperature in July
South Hemisphere – Isotherm of , and runs parallel to latitudes respectively.
Range of Temperature: Highest range of temperature is more than over the north-eastern part of Eurasian continent. This is due to continentality.
The least range of temperature is found between and .
-Manishika