ERIC Number: EJ1025225
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Dec
Pages: 2
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-921X
EISSN: N/A
Average Annual Rainfall over the Globe
Agrawal, D. C.
Physics Teacher, v51 n9 p540-541 Dec 2013
The atmospheric recycling of water is a very important phenomenon on the globe because it not only refreshes the water but it also redistributes it over land and oceans/rivers/lakes throughout the globe. This is made possible by the solar energy intercepted by the Earth. The half of the globe facing the Sun, on the average, intercepts 1.74 × 10[superscript 17]J of solar radiation per second and it is divided over various channels as given in Table 1. It keeps our planet warm and maintains its average temperature of 288 K with the help of the atmosphere in such a way that life can survive. It also recycles the water in the oceans/rivers/ lakes by initial evaporation and subsequent precipitation; the average annual rainfall over the globe is around one meter. According to M. King Hubbert the amount of solar power going into the evaporation and precipitation channel is 4.0 × 10[superscript 16]W. Students can verify the value of average annual rainfall over the globe by utilizing this part of solar energy. This activity is described in the next section.
Descriptors: Weather, Water, Climate, Energy, Science Instruction, Science Activities, Scientific Principles
American Association of Physics Teachers. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740. Tel: 301-209-3300; Fax: 301-209-0845; e-mail: pubs@aapt.org; Web site: http://scitation.aip.org/tpt
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A