Heat exchange methods
Continents & oceans exchange with atmosphere by conduction (i.e. sensible heat exchange) & through phase changes (i.e. latent heat exchange)
Continents, oceans, & atmosphere radiate energy back into space as black bodies
- Earth's surface is cooler than surface of the sun, so the re-radiated EM radiation has lower energy content
- Corresponds to radiation from a black body with a temperature of about 300°K = 30°C
- Radiation from Earth is long-wave radiation, with a mean wavelength of 10 micrometers (10 x 10-6 m = 100,000 Å)
- This radiation is invisible to us, but we sense it as infra-red radiation