The underlying surface and its impact on climate

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

We often notice the beauty of nature, but rarely think about how it works, and what is the meaning of what is under our feet. It turns out that the sparkling snow with which we play in winter, and the soil on which grass grows, and dense forests, and sand on the shore of a raging sea (and the sea itself) are called by one term - “the underlying surface.”

What is our planet covered with

The active, or underlying, surface is the topmost layer of the earth's crust, including all types of water bodies, glaciers and soil that are involved in various natural processes.

How can what is under our feet affect the climate? First of all, through the absorption or reflection of sunlight. In addition, the influence of the underlying surface on the climate is carried out through water and gas exchange, as well as biochemical processes. For example, water heats up and cools down more slowly than soil, which is why coastal areas have a milder climate than those that are far from the seas and oceans.

Light reflection

The temperature on our planet depends on the sun. But, as you know, different surfaces absorb and reflect the sun's rays in different ways, it is on this that the influence of the underlying surface on the climate is based. The fact is that the air itself has a very low thermal conductivity, because of this it is colder in the atmosphere than at the surface: below the air warms up precisely from the heat absorbed by water or soil.

Snow reflects up to 80% of the radiation, so in September, when there is no such precipitation yet, it is warmer than in March, although the amount of solar radiation in these months is the same. We also owe the well-known Indian summer to the underlying surface: the soil heated during the summer gradually gives off solar energy in autumn, adding heat from the decaying green mass to it.

Island climate

Everyone likes a mild climate without sharp winter and summer temperature changes. This is provided to us by the seas and oceans. The water mass heats up slowly, but at the same time it is able to retain up to 4 times more heat than the soil. Thus, the underlying water surface accumulates a large amount of energy during the summer, and releases it in winter, heating the coastal areas.

The famous sea breeze is also a merit of the water surface. During the day, the coast is heated more strongly, hot air expands and “sucks in” colder air from the side of the reservoir, forming a light breeze from the water. At night, on the contrary, the land cools quickly, cold air masses move towards the sea, so the breeze changes its direction.twice a day.

Relief

The terrain also plays a big role in the climate. If the underlying surface is flat, it does not interfere with the movement of air. But in places where there are hills or, conversely, lowlands, special conditions are created. For example, if a reservoir is located in a recess, below the main relief, then evaporation and heat from the water do not dissipate, but accumulate in this area, creating a special microclimate.

Many people have heard about Sannikov's land in the Arctic Ocean. There is a theory that there really could be an island with a tropical climate: if a piece of land is completely surrounded by high glaciers, then air circulation will decrease, heat will not “weather”, and the glacier itself, reflecting the sun's rays, will begin to accumulate them on this island.

Even today we can observe vegetation on some northern islands that is not typical for those latitudes. This is due precisely to the peculiarities of the underlying surface: rocks and forests protect from winds, and the surrounding sea smooths out temperature fluctuations.

Greenhouse effect

We often hear that because of the industry, the number of greenhouse gases is increasing, and the forest produces a lot of oxygen. In reality, this is not entirely true: it is necessary to take into account the factors of the underlying surface. Dead plants and fallen leaves become food for a huge number of microorganisms, insects and worms. All these life processes occur with the release of a large amount of greenhouse gases and absorptionoxygen. Thus, part of the carbon dioxide that plants received from the air is returned to the atmosphere.

In general, the balance of substances remains approximately constant due to the growth of green mass, that is, it is wrong to think that the forest is such a factory for the production of oxygen for the city. It is even more difficult to breathe in tropical forests than in megacities, due to the high humidity of the underlying surface and active life in it. Of course, industry has an impact on the climate, but not only directly, but also through the destruction of the ecosystem. Deforestation and pollution of soil and water leads to the fact that the new green mass grows less and less, and the decaying becomes more and more, and toxic substances that were previously associated with plants enter the atmosphere. Thus, the underlying surface turns the forest from the "lungs of the planet" into a source of those same greenhouse gases.