1. By: Kelsey Lewis, Kimmy Parks, Tyler Tucker, Ashley Sun

2.  How changing surface ocean conditions affects global weather  The causes of Earth’s climate changes, such as human activities and giant meteorite impacts.

3. The ocean covers over 70 percent of Earth’s surface. The ocean is very important in regulating the weather and climate of our planet. Understanding the influential power that the ocean has on changes on the Earth’s climate and observing these changes are key to predicting weather patterns and climate changes. Ocean Currents are the steady flow of ocean water in a prevailing direction. These are responsible for carrying heat which affects the water life and weather.

4. El Nino is an abnormal warming of ocean surface waters in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of something called Southern Oscillation. Southern Oscillation is the pattern of switching surface air pressure back and forth between the eastern and western Pacific by South America. When the surface pressure is high in the eastern Pacific it’s then low in the western Pacific because they are opposite of each other. The ocean warming and pressure reversals are simultaneous; scientists named this process El Nino/Southern Oscillation or ENSO.

5. La Nina is the cooling of the surface water of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, occurring somewhat less frequently than El Niño events but causing similar, generally opposite disruptions to global weather patterns. La Niña conditions occur when the Pacific trade winds blow more strongly than usual, pushing the sun- warmed surface water farther west and increasing the upwelling of cold water in the eastern regions. Together with the atmospheric effects of the related southern oscillation, the cooler water brings drought to western South America and heavy rains to eastern Australia and Indonesia.

6. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFDdGK2EIO0

7. Where does El Niño happen?

8. Analyze uneven distribution of solar energy through Earths surface, and evaluate heat transfer through the atmosphere and hydrosphere, and the effect it has on Earth.

9.  Throughout the earth we have solar radiation, heat, and wind that is transferred throughout the Atmosphere, also called solar distribution.  Earths uneven distribution of solar energy can be caused from the earth’s tilt of its axis, climate and clouds( a form of condensation best described as a dense concentration of suspended water droplets), and air pollution.  Clouds distribute the suns rays by scattering the rays in opposite directions.

10.  Heat is transferred through the atmosphere and hydrosphere in 3 ways:  Radiation, convection, and conduction  Heat transferred through radiation travels through electromagnetic waves. As in the sun Solar radiation is absorbed by all objects, such as humans, plants, animals and roads. This form of radiation is a visible light.

11.  Conduction is the transfer of heat from one molecule to another within a substance. An example of this would be you holding a glass over an open flame, the flame would heat the molecules in your glass, then the glass molecules would heat the molecules in your hand causing your hand to warm up.  The final transfer of heat would be convection, this is the most common in the hydrosphere. It is the transfer of heat through the movement of a fluid, such as air or water. An example would be an ocean current.

12.  Solar distribution causes temperature differences which can cause the varying amounts of solar energy that is absorbed in different regions of the earth, but things such as convection or ocean currents can cause a make up of heat transfer, such as a northward flowing gulf stream causing a weather phenomenon towards the poles. The different ways the earth transfers heat can effect other things such as changing climate, greenhouse gases, and the changing of the seasons.

13.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xW WowXtuvA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xW WowXtuvA

14.  Heating through Earth’s atmosphere/surface with thermal radiation.

15.  What are one of the three ways the earth transfers heat through the atmosphere and hydrosphere?

16.  The Earth is a HUGE conductor of energy. We know this because of it’s structure. It’s inner core alone, is made up entirely of iron, which is an extremely powerful conductor of heat. When the sun heats the Earth, the Earth absorbs it. The Earth is being warmed through Solar energy; energy that comes from the Sun.

17. Solar constant: the rate at which the sun's energy is received per unit area at the top of the earth's atmosphere Percentages of the sun’s solar rays are absorbed in the atmosphere while the rest absorbs in the Earth. The Earth transfers that energy into Thermal energy where it then heats the earth. Through convection, the hot energy travels up to the atmosphere, warming the atmosphere. Here we get the term, Global Warming; the process of which the Earth heats itself.

19.  Now that we know how the sun heats the earth and the earth absorbs the heat, lets take a look at how that heat benefits us! :D  http://youtu.be/ORH3ZkE6NWI http://youtu.be/ORH3ZkE6NWI

20. What is the rate at which the sun's energy is received per unit area at the top of the earth's atmosphere??? Anybody remember??? ;)

21.  The causes of Earth’s climate changes, such as human activities and selective absorbers.

22.  The contribution humans have on climate change comes from greenhouse gases, aerosols, and cloudiness.  The burning of fossil fuels contributes to the change because of the released carbon dioxide into the atmosphere  The gases and aerosols change solar radiation that comes in and also the infrared radiation that leaves, creating a change in the balance and in doing so can cause cooling or warming of the climate Pollution

23.  Driving  Manufacturing in factories  Construction  Mining

24.  Greenhouse gases: is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range.  Types of Greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide(CO2), -methane (CH4), -nitrous oxide (N2O) -halocarbons

26.  The Earth itself is an selective absorber, which is a surface that has high absorbance at wavelengths corresponding to that of the solar spectrum and low admittance in the infrared range, the Earth absorbs all radiation that hits it and then releases infrared radiation. The atmosphere also absorbs some wavelengths making it a selective absorber as well. And when the atmosphere absorbs the infrared radiation from Earth it creates a warmer air.  Carbon dioxide and water vapor are also selective absorbers.

28.  What is one type of human activity causing problems for Earth’s climate?

29.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvqU_L 5PZtk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvqU_L 5PZtk