1 Atmospheric Temperature ||Chapter 3 || Geography

Fundamental Questions

Q1) What is the main source of heat and light on earth?

Ans) The Sun is the main source of heat and light on earth.
Q2) What is solar radiation?
Ans) Sun radiates heat energy in all directions, in the form of short
waves. This is known as solar radiation.
Q3) What is insolation?
Ans) Earth receives only one in two billion parts of the total
radiation of the Sun. The amount of solar energy received by the
Earth is called insolation.
Q4) Name the factors that determine the amount of insolation received by
the surface of Earth?
Ans) The amount of insolation received by the surface of the earth
varies not only from one place to another but also with time of the
year. It depends on the inclination of the Sun’s rays and the duration
of the daylight.
Q5) What is Terrestrial radiation?
Ans) At night the heat absorbed by the Earth’s surface is radiated
out in to the atmosphere in the form of long waves. This is called
terrestrial radiation.
Q6) What is lapse rate of temperature?
Ans) The temperature decreases at the rate of 1°C for every 165 m
increase of altitude.
Q7) What is conduction?
Ans) Conduction is the transfer of heat from a hotter body to a
cooler body through contact. The cool air which is in contact with the
hot surface of the earth gets heated.
Q8) What is convection?
Ans) Convection is the transfer of heat by the movement of a
substance from one place to another. When the air in the lower layer
of atmosphere gets heated, it expands becomes lighter and rises
upward. Upon reaching the higher layer it cools down and starts
sinking. The surrounding air takes its place and the same circulation
goes on. These are called convection currents.
Q9) What is radiation?
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Ans) Radiation is the direct heating of a substance by the

transmission of heat waves. The atmosphere does not absorb much of
the incoming solar radiation, but it absorbs a large amount of the
outgoing radiation from the surface of the Earth.
Q10) What is advection?
Ans) Advection is the transfer of heat from one region to another by
the winds. Wind coming from a warmer region raises the
temperature while wind coming from a cooler region lowers it.
Q11) What is Earth’s Heat Budget?
Ans) Out of every hundred units of solar radiation that strike the
outer surface of the atmosphere, only fourteen units are absorbed by
the atmosphere because it is bad absorber of the short wave
radiation. Thirty five units are reflected back by the clouds,
snowfields and oceans. The remaining fifty-one units of the total solar
radiation are responsible for heating up the Earth’s surface during
day time. Since the atmosphere is a good absorber of long wave
radiation, it absorbs thirty four units out of the total fifty one units of
terrestrial radiation emitted by the earth. The remaining seventeen
units escape in to the outer space. The balance of incoming and
outgoing radiation is known as the Earth’s heat budget.
Q12) What are the heat zones of earth?
Ans) The earth has been divided in to three heat zones according to
the amount of insolation received. These zones are called the Torrid
Zone, the Temperate zone and the Frigid Zone.
Q13) State one example of how winds affect the temperature of a place.
Ans) The hot and dusty loo blowing over north Indian plains in
summer is an example.
Q14) Why are gardens and forests cooler than the surrounding areas?
Ans) Trees release water vapour in the air thereby, reducing the
temperature. They also provide shade and absorb much of the heat
received by the Earth’s surface.
Q15) Why is the amount of insolation received in the polar regions of the
Earth low?
Ans) As we move away from the Equator towards the poles, due to
the curvature of the Earth, the Sun’s rays become more and more
slanting. The temperature goes on decreasing from equator towards
the poles.
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Q16) Why is the temperature of the atmosphere not constant?

Ans) The temperature of the atmosphere is not same everywhere. It
largely depends upon the amount of insolation received by a
particular place.
Q17) State factors that control the temperature of the place.
Ans) The factors controlling the temperature of place are: Latitude,
Altitude, Distance from sea, Winds, Ocean currents, cloud cover,
Relief, slope of land and soil and vegetation cover.
Q18) What is oceanic climate?
Ans) Land and sea breeze have a moderating influence on the
temperature of coastal areas and so they have maritime or oceanic
climate.
Q19) Where would you find continental type of climate?
Ans) The places situated far away from the sea have extremes of
temperature and thus, experience continental climate.
Q20) State one characteristic of sandy soil.
Ans) Sandy soils are light and dry. They get heated up rapidly and
cool down equally fast.
Q21) How is heat transferred from the lower to upper layers of the
atmosphere?
Ans) When the air in the lower layer of the atmosphere gets heated,
it expands, becomes lighter and rises upward. Upon reaching the
higher layers, it cools down and starts sinking. The surrounding air
takes its place and the same circulation goes on. These are known as
convection currents. They transfer heat from lower to the upper
layers of atmosphere.
Q22) Explain how the latitude of a place determines its temperature.
Ans) The Equator and region near it receive vertical rays of sun
which heat up the earth’s surface more than the slanting rays which
are received as we move away from the equator due to curvature of
earth. The temperature goes on decreasing from the equator towards
poles.
Q23) Why does temperature decrease with increase in altitude?
Ans) As we move on to higher altitudes, the layers of air become
thinner and they contain less amount of water vapour and dust
particles. Thus the heat absorbed is less. Therefore the temperature
decreases with increase in altitude.
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Q24) Explain how cloud cover regulates the temperature of a place.

Ans) Cloud cover reflects quite a large portion of solar radiation,
thus reducing the amount of heat reaching the earth’s surface.
Therefore during the day, the temperature is lower when the sky is
cloudy and higher when the sky is clear. At night, cloud cover acts as
a blanket to prevent heat from escaping the earth’s surface. As a
result on a cloudy night, the temperature does not drop as low as on a
clear night.
Q25) What is the impact of ocean currents on temperature?
Ans) Warm ocean currents increase the temperature of nearby
coastal areas, while cold ocean currents decrease the temperature. In
areas where warm and cold ocean currents meet, foggy conditions
arise and visibility is reduced.
Q26) What are the different ways by which the atmosphere gets heated?
Ans) The atmosphere is heated in several ways - heat from the core
of the Earth, by radiation from the Sun, conduction from contact
with warm land and water, convection to even out the temperature
and by absorption of infrared radiation from the warm land and
water.

The core of the Earth is very hot. It is nearly as hot as the surface of
the Sun - about 6000°C. The thermal energy of the core is transferred
to the surface of the Earth and the lower levels of the oceans by
conduction. Water in lakes and oceans transfers heat to the surface
by convection.

Most of the radiation coming from the Sun passes right through the
atmosphere, because the wavelength of visible light is not absorbed
by the atmosphere. Only the long wavelength infrared portion of
sunlight is absorbed, and this heats the air. Convection then spreads
and evens out the heat.

Air molecules that come into contact with the warmer surface of the
land and surface of the oceans and lakes increase their thermal
energy through conduction. Those molecules then heat up other air
molecules through convection. In the winter, the land and water is
relatively cooler, and so the air is cooler, too. Since the land and
water are relatively cooler in winter, they do not emit infrared any
radiation to heat the air.
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When land and water become warm in summer, they emit long-
wavelength infrared radiation that is readily absorbed by the
atmosphere. This continues during nighttime, too. Convection in the
air then spreads out the thermal energy throughout the atmosphere.

Q27) How does the distance of sea affect the climate of a place?
Ans) The sea affects the climate of a place. Coastal areas are cooler
and wetter than inland areas. Clouds form when warm air from
inland areas meets cool air from the sea. The centre of continents is
subject to a large range of temperatures. In the summer,
temperatures can be very hot and dry as moisture from the sea
evaporates before it reaches the centre of the land mass.