CHP 08 - Insolation

PURWANCHAL VIDYAMANDIR
Session : 2021 – 2022
Class – IX
Subject : Geography
Study Material – 10
Topic : INSOLATION
The sun is the chief source of energy for the earth. Conversion of hydrogen to helium by the
process of nuclear fusion is the source of sun’s energy in the form of heat and light. The sun
continuously radiates heat and light energy in all directions known as solar radiation. The
earth receives its heat from solar radiation which is a tiny fraction of the radiated energy of
the sun.
The radiant energy received by the earth is called the incoming solar radiation or insolation.
The sun’s radiation is made up of three parts – visible white light, infrared radiation and
ultraviolet radiation.
The circulation in the atmosphere and ocean water is also due to the unequal heating of the
atmosphere and ocean water by insolation.
Heating of the Atmosphere :-
The incoming solar radiation is called insolation. The amount of insolation reaching the
outer limit of the atmosphere is called Solar Constant.
About 35% of the total insolation that reaches the atmosphere is directly reflected back to
space by dust and clouds.
About 14% is absorbed by the greenhouse gases. This causes it to be diffused and scattered
which gives rise to the blue sky that we see above us.
The remaining 51% reaches the earth which in turn warms the layers of air above it by
conduction, convection and radiation.
RADIATION :
It is the direct heating of a body or an object by the transmission of heat waves . The solar
radiation reaches the earth as short wave radiation which the atmosphere is unable to
absorb. After it strikes the earth’s surface, the earth in turn radiates this heat back to the
atmosphere in the form of long waves called Terrestrial Radiation which is mainly
responsible to heat the earth’s atmosphere.
CONVECTION :
The circulation of air and water in oceans causes transfer of heat from one medium to
another or from one level to another. Thus convection is an upward movement of a mobile
medium like air or water, which has been heated in contact with the earth’s surface. It is
responsible for land and sea breezes.
CONDUCTION :
It is the process by which heat radiated by the earth’s surface warms the layers of air above
it by direct contact and is least significant in heating the earth’s atmosphere. It is confined to
the lower layers of the atmosphere, where air comes in contact with the earth’s surface.
ADVECTION :
Winds and ocean water carry the heat from one place to another. Usually heat is transferred
from lower to higher latitude. This process of horizontal transfer of heat by winds is known
as advection.
Differential rate of heating and cooling of land and water :
Land surface gets heated faster and more intensely by the sun’s rays and radiates the heat
also more rapidly. On the other hand water surface takes longer to be heated as well as to
radiate their heat. Thus temperature contrasts are greater over land masses (continents)
than over seas and oceans.
Factors affecting the distribution of Temperature :-
Click here to watch a video on factors affecting temperature
1. Latitude –
 Sun’s rays strike the earth at varying angles of incidence owing to the
spherical shape of the earth and its inclination on its axis.
 Temperature decreases with increase in latitude on either side of the equator
due to spherical shape of the earth and its annual revolution around the sun.
 Thus lower latitude with vertical rays are hotter than higher latitude
experiencing slanting rays.
2. Altitude –
 Temperature decreases with altitude at the rate of 1oC for 167m of altitude.
This is known as Normal Lapse Rate.
 The main reason for decrease of temperature with height is that the
atmosphere is heated more by terrestrial radiation from below than by
incoming solar radiation.
 Air at the surface is denser with more greenhouse gases, hence its heat
absorption capacity is much more in the lower layers than in upper rarified
layers.
3. Continentality –
 Land heats and cools faster than water because of higher specific heat
capacity of water. This causes land and sea breezes which moderates the
temperature of the coastal areas.
 Thus the areas near the sea have lower diurnal and annual range of
temperature while places in the interior have extremes of temperature.
4. Ocean Currents –
 Warm ocean currents causes the temperature of coastal areas to rise while
cold ocean currents causes the temperature to fall.
 On-shore winds blowing over warm ocean currents pick up moisture and
brings rainfall to coastal areas while winds blowing over cold ocean currents
causes aridity along the coasts.
5. Winds –
 Winds blowing from the lower latitudes are warmer than those blowing from
higher latitudes and vice-versa. Winds modify the temperature of the regions
over which they blow.
 Winds blowing from the ocean in summer tend to reduce the temperature of
the places along the coast as oceans are cooler than landmasses.
6. Slope –
 The effect of slope on temperature is specially striking in middle latitudes.
 In the Northern Hemisphere, the south - facing slopes are facing the direct
rays of the sun while in the Southern Hemisphere, the north - facing slopes
are facing the direct rays of the sun.
 Thus the south - facing slopes are warmer in the Northern hemisphere and
the north – facing slopes are warmer in the Southern Hemisphere.
Inversion of Temperature:-
Under normal conditions, the temperature of the atmosphere falls with

altitude. But there are some special conditions under which the atmospheric
temperature increases with height. This rise of temperature with height is
known as inversion of temperature. Such conditions occur during long winter
nights, clear sky and stable weather.
Click on this link to understand the concept of temperature inversion

ASSIGNMENT
1. Define the following terms:-

i) Insolation
ii) Normal Lapse Rate
iii) Terrestrial Radiation
iv) Range of temperature
2. Differentiate between the following:-

i) Coastal climate and Continental climate
ii) Conduction and Convection
3. Give reasons for the following:-

i) North India has a greater range of temperature than South India.
ii) The temperature of Delhi is less than Chennai in December.
iii) The ports of the western coast of Europe remain ice-free in winter.
iv) The vertical rays of the sun give more insolation than the slanting rays.
4. Answer the following:-

i) Why is India cooler in December than in July?
ii) Why, only 51% of the solar radiation reaches the earth’s surface?
iii) What is inversion of temperature? Under what conditions does it occur?
iv) Why does the snow that falls on the south-facing slopes of the Himalayas
melt faster than that on the north-facing slopes?
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PURWANCHAL VIDYAMANDIR

Session : 2021 – 2022

Heating of the Atmosphere :-

Differential rate of heating and cooling of land and water :

Click here to watch a video on factors affecting temperature

Under normal conditions, the temperature of the atmosphere falls with

Click on this link to understand the concept of temperature inversion

1. Define the following terms:-

2. Differentiate between the following:-

3. Give reasons for the following:-

4. Answer the following:-

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