Question

How is heat transferred in the troposphere?

Answer 1

Radiation, Conduction, Convection, Advection, latent heat changing into sensible heat and turbulent mixing.

Explanation:

I have answered this in Earth Science, as that is really where it belongs. However I will answer it again.

Radiation, is energy that is emitted by any body that has heat, and it is emitted by waves. At night the Earth emits heat by Radiation into the troposphere.

Conduction, is the transfer of energy by contact. This is a really small factor in the transfer of heat in the troposphere, as it only really occurs within the first few feet of any layer. For example, the Earth can heat the air in direct contact with it, for all intents and purposes the first 3 meters of the atmosphere.

Convection, is the transfer of heat via the unequal heating of the Earth. Different surfaces heat up differently on the Earth dependent on their albedo (reflectiveness). For example, a area of black asphalt will heat up much faster than an area of snow covered ground. This unequal heating causes vertical motion of air (warm air rises as it expands).

Advection is the horizontal transfer of air, we often refer to this as fronts. When the wind moves warm air over a colder area we call this warm air advection.

Latent heat is the heat that is stored by water molecules when they change state into a higher energy level. If you take a pot of boiling water you will see the temperature remains around 100 degrees C, regardless of the fact that the heat source continues to add heat to it. Where does this additional energy go? Into the water molecules themselves, as they convert to water vapor.

So if we have water vapor in a warm air parcel, and that parcel rises and cools (due to the decrease in pressure), we will see the water vapor change back into liquid water (forming a cloud) and the latent heat will be released as sensible heat (heat you can feel). This works hand in hand with Convection.

Finally we have something called turbulent mixing. This occurs when the wind is stronger, and the ground it is traveling over is rough. It causes the mixing of the planetary boundary layer (first 1000 meters). This works to expand the effects of Conduction and Radiation.