Assessment 1
04. The highest levels of insolation are found in the areas where there is a lower amount of cloud cover because if there is a lower amount of cloud then less insolation is reflected back into space. The highest rate of insolation is over Egypt. Over oceans the level of insolation decreases with increasing latitude both north and south of the equator. This is because of the decreasing angle of incidence of the sun, and so lower amounts of insolation occur. Over land it’s a lot different. Areas on the equator have lower amounts of insolation than areas both north and south, despite the higher angle of incidence. This is due to higher levels of cloud cover in these areas which reflect higher amounts back into space. The rate of insolation given decreases more rapidly in the southern hemisphere compared to the northern hemisphere. This is because there is a much larger cloud cover in the southern hemisphere due to there being more sea on the surface that provides an increase in water vapour for clouds.
05.

Thermosphere – temperatures rise rapidly with height, perhaps to reach 1500°C. This is due to an increasing proportion of atomic oxygen in the atmosphere. Which like ozone, absorbs incoming ultra-violet radiation.
Mesosphere – temperatures fall rapidly as there is no water vapour, cloud, dust, or ozone to absorb incoming radiation. This layer experiences the atmospheres lowest temperatures (-90°C) and strongest winds (nearly 300km/hour). The mesopause, like the tropopause and stratopause, shows no change in temperature.
Stratosphere – the stratosphere is characterised by a steady increase in temperature caused by a concentration of ozone. This gas absorbs incoming ultra-violet radiation from the sun. Winds are light in the lower parts, but increase with height; pressure continues to fall and the air is dry. The stratosphere, like the two layers above it, acts as a protective shield against meteorites. Which usually burn out as they enter the Earth’s gravitational field. The stratopause is another isothermal layer where temperatures do not change with increasing height.
Troposphere – temperatures in the troposphere decrease by 6.4°C with every 1000m increase in altitude. This is because the Earth’s surface is warmed by incoming solar radiation which in turn heats the air next to it via conduction, convection and radiation. Pressure falls as the effect of gravity decreases, although wind speeds usually increase with height. The layer is unstable and contains most of the atmospheres water vapour, cloud, dust and pollution. The tropopause which forms the upper layer to the Earth’s climate and weather is marked by an isothermal layer where temperatures remain constant despite any increase in height.
06. Altitude - exerts a significant effect on temperature in mountainous areas as temperatures decrease steadily with height above sea level. Hence, areas such as the Himalayas, Alps, Rockies and Andes are cooler than similar latitudes. Air which is moving through the atmosphere cools on rising, or warms up on descending, according to adiabatic laws. In the atmosphere the change of temperature with height is called the environmental lapse rate (ELR). The average value for ELR is 6.5ºC for every 1000 metres. However, this value varies both with height and with time, being higher in the summer season.

Oceanic circulation - the large-scale movement of water within the oceans is part of the horizontal transfer of heat from the tropics to the polar regions and is responsible for around 20% of the total transfer of heat within the energy budget. Each ocean has its own particular circular pattern of currents (called a gyre) that are produced as masses of water move from one climatic zone to another. Ocean currents are largely set in motion by the prevailing surface winds. They allow heat to become more equably distributed throughout the world’s major climate zones. The world’s major ocean currents are particularly dominant along the western sides of the ocean basins and currents that are less well-defined and relatively weak are on the eastern sides. Heat is transferred by warm ocean currents, such as the North Atlantic Drift in the Atlantic Ocean, from the low to high latitudes. This warming influence is particularly dominant between latitudes 40º to 65º where winds blow onshore, on the western sides of continents and is confined to the winter season. Cold ocean currents generally have less effect upon temperatures because they usually lie under off-shore winds.