B.2 Greenhouse Effect - Old

Topic 8: Energy, power, climate change
8.5 Greenhouse effect

Solar radiation
8.5.1 Calculate the intensity of the Sun’s
radiation incident on a planet.
8.5.2 Define albedo.
8.5.3 State factors that determine a planet’s
albedo.
Solar radiation
Calculate the intensity of the Sun’s radiation
incident on a planet.
PRACTICE: The sun radiates energy at a rate of
3.901026 W. What is the rate at which energy from
the sun reaches Earth if our orbital radius is
1.51011 m?
SOLUTION:
The surface area of a sphere is A = 4r2.
Recall that intensity is the rate at which energy
is being gained per unit area. Thus
intensity = power / A intensity
so I = P/[4r2] = 3.901026/[4(1.51011)2]
I = 1380 W m-2.
This is 1380 J/s per m2.
Solar radiation
Calculate the intensity of the Sun’s radiation
incident on a planet.
PRACTICE: The sun radiates energy at a rate of
3.901026 W. What is the rate at which energy from
the sun reaches Jupiter if its orbital radius is
7.81011 m?
SOLUTION:
I = P/[4r2] = 3.901026/[4(7.81011)2]
I = 51 W m-2.
This is 51 J/s per m2.
Pincident
Solar radiation
Define albedo. Pscattered
When light strikes an object, some of
it is absorbed, and some of it is
scattered.
If light strikes a mirror, nearly heat
all of it will be scattered: Pscattered
If light strikes a surface covered
Pincident
with lamp black, nearly all of it
will be absorbed: heat
We define albedo in terms of
scattered and incident power as
albedo = Pscattered / Pincident albedo
FYI
The mirror has an albedo of almost 1.
The black body has an albedo of almost 0.
Solar radiation
State factors that determine a planet’s albedo.
Observing the
table we can see
that different
terrains have a
variety of
albedos.
Ocean water
scatters little
light (7%).
Snow and ice
scatter a
lot of light
(62% to 66%).
Desert (36%).
Solar radiation
From the previous table it is
clear that calculating the
overall albedo of a planet
is quite complex.
Clouds also contribute
to the albedo.
Even plane contrails!
Overall, Earth’s mean
yearly albedo is about
0.3 (or 30%).
The actual albedo depends
on season, latitude, cloud
cover, and snow cover.
It varies daily!
Solar radiation
White and
gray areas:
No data.
Albedo
April, 2002, Terra satellite, NASA

Solar radiation
albedo = Pscattered/Pincident
Pincident = 340 W m-2

Pscattered = 100 W m-2
albedo = 100/340
The greenhouse effect
8.5.4 Describe the greenhouse effect.
8.5.5 Identify the main greenhouse gases and
their sources.
8.5.6 Explain the molecular mechanisms by
which greenhouse gases absorb infrared
radiation.
8.5.7 Analyze absorption graphs to compare
the relative effects of different greenhouse
gases.
Net
Topic 8: Energy, power, climate change heat
gain
Describe the greenhouse effect.
When solar radiation strikes a planet that has
a gaseous atmosphere, the gases comprising
the atmosphere can absorb infrared radiation
(heat).
The remainder of the incoming radiation then
reaches the ground to either be scattered back
into the atmosphere, or absorbed.
Solids can absorb all frequencies of radiation,
and convert them to infrared wavelengths.
The heated ground can then emit infrared
radiation back into the atmosphere, which then
intercepts more of the energy on the way out.
The result is that the atmosphere traps heat
and causes the temperature of the planet to
Identify the main greenhouse gases and their
sources.
The main gases that are particularly effective in
absorbing infrared radiation are methane (CH4),
water vapor C-sink
(H2O),
carbon di-
oxide (CO2),
and nitrous
oxide (N2O).
Note that
there are
both natural C-sink C-sink
and man-made
changes. Global Carbon Cycle (Billion Metric Tons Carbon)
sources.
This graph
shows the
correlation
between
increasing
atmospheric
concentration
of CO2 and our
fossil fuel
emissions of
CO2.
Anthropogenic
Trends in Atmospheric Concentrations and
means “human.”Anthropogenic Emissions of Carbon Dioxide
sources.
This graph
shows relative Breakdown of world
emissions of the greenhouse gas
main five human- emissions in 2004 by
contributed gas (except ozone), in
greenhouse gases. billion tonnes CO2
Note that equivalent. From IPCC,
deforestation 2007.
accounts for
8.1/(8.1 + 29.2)
= 22% of human-
caused CO2
increase.
sources.
Volcanoes also produce greenhouse gases.
It is estimated that humans produce about 35
billion metric tons of CO2 per year, whereas
volcanoes produce about .14 to .44 billion metric
tons (or about 1.2% of CO2 emissions at the most).
Explain the molecular mechanisms by which
greenhouse gases absorb infrared radiation.
Recall that solar radiation strikes the
earth at a rate of 1380 W m-2 or less,
the farther from the equator you are.
That energy is carried in the form of
photons, which are quanta of light. Small,
The atmosphere is made up of gases, medium and
which are the first layer of matter large
that the sun's rays interact with. electron
If a photon is at the precise jumps may
energy for an electron to occur, even
jump to a different energy to the
level in an atom, it will point of
be absorbed. ionization
The excited gases will eventually de-excite and
release photons.
The absorption and release of photons by the
gases is called scattering.
Scattering does not produce a net increase in
heat energy in the atmosphere.
However, some of the scattered photons may be in
the infrared region-able to be absorbed as
internal energy and kinetic energy via the
mechanisms illustrated on the next slide.
Greenhouse gases are all molecular in nature,
(meaning comprised of more than one atom).
For our purposes we will consider the triatomic
molecule CO2.
A simple model of CO2 has springs connecting the
two oxygen atoms to the carbon atom:
O C O
Recall that heat energy can be stored in
molecules as internal energy in the form of
potential (the springs) and kinetic (the
The difference between these two CO2 molecules is
in their internal potential energies:
O C O O C O
EP big EP small
The above EP storage does not contribute to the
increase in temperature of the CO2. Rather, it is
the kinetic energy EK of the molecule that
determines its temperature.
There are three ways an extended molecule such as
CO2 can store kinetic energy: Via vibration, via
Vibration refers to the molecules oscillating in
conjunction with the springs:
OO C OO
vibration
The natural frequency of greenhouse gases is in

the infrared region of the spectrum and thus
greenhouse gases are prone to absorb such
frequencies.
Translation refers to the
molecule moving as a unit
in a straight line:
O C O slation
tran
Rotation refers to the

molecule spinning about O C O
its center of mass.
All three Ek modes can rotation
absorb and hold infrared
radiation simultaneously.
Analyze absorption graphs to compare the relative
effects of different greenhouse gases.
Analyze absorption graphs to compare the relative
effects of different greenhouse gases.
PRACTICE: Consider the absorption graphs for the
greenhouse gases.
(a) Which portion of the
electromagnetic spectrum
is represented?
(b) Which greenhouse gas
contributes the most to
the greenhouse effect?
(c) Which is the least
significant contributor?
SOLUTION:
(a) Infrared (heat).
(b) Water vapor!
(c) Oxygen and ozone.
8.5.8 Outline the nature of blackbody
radiation
8.5.9 Draw and annotate a graph of the
emission spectra of black bodies at different
temperatures.
8.5.10 State the Stefan-Boltzmann law and apply
it to compare emission rates from the
different surfaces.
8.5.11 Apply the concept of emissivity to compare
the emission rates from the different
sources.
Outline the nature of blackbody radiation.
Solids can absorb many more wavelengths
than the atmospheric gases.
Depending on the color of a solid you can
determine what wavelengths it cannot absorb.
For example, a green object reflects (and
therefore does not absorb) green light.
When bathed in ambient white light a solid is

the color of the light that it cannot absorb.
A black object absorbs all wavelengths.
FYI
A black body absorbs all wavelengths. As it heats
up it also emits all wavelengths, called
blackbody radiation.
Draw and annotate a graph of the emission spectra
of black bodies at different temperatures.
Solids can be heated to incandescence
(glowing) and different temperatures
will have different visible radiation.
If we heat a black body to
incandescence we observe:
Two trends emerge:
visible radiation
Intensity
UV radiation
IR radiation
-The higher the tempera-
ture the greater the
intensity at all
wavelengths.
-The higher temperature
the smaller the wavelength
1000 2000 3000 4000 5000
of the maximum intensity. Wavelength (nm)
700 600 Visible Light 500 400
Wavelength  / nm
A simple law called Wein’s displacement law tells
us the wavelength of the maximum intensity max for
blackbodies at temperature T in Kelvin:
maxT = 2.9010-3 m K Wien’s displacement law
EXAMPLE: The sun’s surface
Intensity
has a temperature of 4500
K. What is the prevalent
wavelength of light?
SOLUTION:
maxT = 2.9010-3
max = 2.9010-3/4500 1000 3000 4000 5000
2000
 = 6.4410-7 m = 644 nm Wavelength (nm)
 Higher temperature
= higher intensity
so Y is above X.
 Higher temperature
= smaller wave-
length at peak
State the Stefan-Boltzmann law and apply it to
compare emission rates from the different
surfaces.
Without proof, the Stefan-Boltzmann law is as
follows:
P = AT4 Stefan-
where  = 5.6710-8 W m-2 K-4. Boltzmann law
 is called the Stefan-Boltzmann constant.
The Stefan-Boltzmann law shows the relationship
between the temperature of a black body and the
power emitted by the black body’s surface area.
FYI
A black body emits as much power as it absorbs.
Thus the Stefan-Boltzmann law works for both
emission and absorption problems.
surfaces.
EXAMPLE: Mercury has a radius of 2.50106 m. Its
sunny side has a temperature of 400°C (673 K)
and its shady side -200°C (73 K). Treating
it like a black body, find its power.
SOLUTION:
Asphere = 4(2.50106)2 = 7.851013 m2.
For T use TAVG = (673 + 73) / 2 = 373 K
P = AT4 = (5.6710-8)(7.851013)3734 = 8.621016 W.
FYI
Since no body is at absolute zero (K = 0) it
follows from the Stefan-Boltzmann law that all
bodies radiate.
surfaces.
EXAMPLE: Assuming an albedo of 0.30,
find, for Earth,
(a) the power of the sunlight received.
SOLUTION: Use I = 1380 W m-2 and I = P/A.
The radius of Earth is r = 6.37106 m
so its cross-sectional area is
A = r2 = (6.37106)2 = 1.271014 m2.
An albedo of 0.30 means that 70% of the sunlight
is absorbed (because 30% is scattered). Thus
P =(0.70)IA =(0.70)(1380)(1.271014) = 1.231017 W.
Thus Earth intercepts energy from the sun at a
17
surfaces.
EXAMPLE: Assuming an albedo of 0.30,
find, for Earth,
(b) the predicted temperature due
to the sunlight reaching it.
SOLUTION:
From the previous example:P = 1.231017 W.
But this power is distributed over the whole
planet, which has an area Asphere = 4r2.
From Stefan-Boltzmann we have
P = AT4
1.231017 = (5.6710-8)4(6.37106)2T4
T = 255 K (-18°C).
Apply the concept of emissivity to compare the
emission rates from the different sources.
The emissivity e of a body is a number between 0
and 1 that describes the emission and absorption
properties of that body.
A blackbody is a perfect emitter/absorber of
radiation and has an emissivity of e = 1.
Bodies that cannot emit/absorb radiation at all
have e = 0.
Mirror Charcoal
e = 0.05 e = 0.95
The emissivity of a body can be determined using

energy radiated by body emissivity
e =
energy radiated by blackbody
Apply the concept of emissivity to compare the
emission rates from the different sources.
A blackbody is a perfect e = 0.9 e = 0.5
emitter/absorber (e = 1).
A small sphere covered with lamp
black makes a pretty good blackbody
and has an emissivity somewhat
tallow
close to 1. better
candle
An even better black blackbody
m al
body is the metal- incident ther
cavity blackbody: radiation
If we know e, the
Stefan-Boltzmann law
can be amended:
P = eAT4 Stefan-Boltzmann law
surfaces.
EXAMPLE: If the average temperature of Earth is
289 K, find its emissivity.
SOLUTION: Use e = Pbody / Pblackbody.
We determined that Earth absorbs energy from the
sun at a rate of P = 1.231017 W.
Since the temperature of Earth is relativity
constant, we can assume it is radiating power at
the same rate of Pbody = 1.231017 W.
At 289 K the power radiated by a blackbody of the
same size as Earth is
Pbb = (5.6710-8)4(6.37106)22894 = 2.021017 W.
8.5.12 Define the surface heat capacity Cs.
8.5.13 Solve problems on the greenhouse effect
and the heating of planets using a simple
energy balance climate model.
Define the surface heat capacity Cs.
Recall thermal capacity C from Topic 3:
Q = CT thermal capacity C defined
The larger C is, the smaller the change in
temperature of a substance.
Because the ground is comprised of many different
materials, each of which has a different thermal
capacity, we define a new heat capacity (Cs) that
effectively “averages” out the effects of the
individual capacities over an area.
Cs = Q / (AT) surface heat capacity
The surface heat capacity is the amount of energy

needed to raise the temperature of 1 m2 of ground
by 1 K. For Earth the average is about
Cs = 4108 J K-1 m2 Surface heat capacity
Define the surface heat capacity Cs.
Cs = Q / (AT) Surface heat capacity
Cs = 4108 J K-1 m2 Surface heat capacity
EXAMPLE: Assuming no Earth radiation,

determine the amount of time it would
take the sun to warm up Earth by 1 K.
SOLUTION:
From previous example: P = 1.231017 W.
From Cs = Q/(AT) we see that
Q = CsAT = (4108)4(6.37106)2(1) = 2.041023 J.
From P = Q/t we obtain
t = Q/P = (2.041023) / (1.231017) = 1.66106 s.
This is equivalent to t = 460 h = 19 d.
If Earth trapped all of the sun’s energy it would
soon become as hot as Venus-enough to melt lead!
Solve problems on the greenhouse effect and the
heating of planets using a simple energy balance
climate model.
Although we calculated the intensity of solar
radiation to be 1380 W m-2 by the time it reaches
Earth, the earth is spherical, and so not all
surfaces will receive this intensity.
We will take the average for our models to be
IAVG = 340 W m-2 Average incident solar radiation
1380 W/m2
climate model.
EXAMPLE: Draw a Sankey diagram for a model of the
earth without greenhouse gases.
SOLUTION: First draw Earth/atmosphere blocks:
Draw incoming solar energy (340 W m-2):
Draw energy reflected by 340
atmosphere (clouds): 75 235
30
Draw energy reflected by
ground (snow, etc.): 235
Draw energy absorbed by
ground (Q = CsAT): NON-GREENHOUSE
ATMOSPHERE
Draw energy radiated by
GROUND 235
Earth (P = AT4):
climate model.
PRACTICE: Show that at the space/atmosphere
interface and at the ground/atmosphere interface
the net power flow is zero.
SOLUTION:
Space/atmosphere interface:
340
340 IN 75
30 235
235 + 75 + 30 = 340 OUT.
Ground/atmosphere interface:
235 IN and 235 OUT. 235
FYI
Since Ein = Eout, the NON-GREENHOUSE
temperature in each region ATMOSPHERE
is constant. GROUND 235
climate model.
EXAMPLE: Draw a Sankey diagram for a model of the
earth with greenhouse gases.
SOLUTION: Blocks first (Greenhouse gases):
Ein (340 W m-2):
Ereflect (105 W m-2): 340
75 195
EGND,abs (165 W m ):
-2 30
EATMOS,abs (70 W m-2):
165
EGND,radiate (390 W m ):
-2 70 520
100
Econvection (100 W m-2): 350 40 325
GREENHOUSE ATMOSPHERE
Eatm,radiate (195 W m-2):
GROUND 490
climate model.
PRACTICE: Show that at the space/atmosphere
interface and at the ground/atmosphere interface
the net power flow is zero.
SOLUTION:
Space/atmosphere
interface: 340
75 195
340 IN 30
195+75+30+40=340 OUT.
Ground/atmosphere 165
70 520
interface:
100
165+325 = 490 IN 350 40 325
350+40+100 = 340 OUT. GREENHOUSE ATMOSPHERE
GROUND 490
climate model.
From Stefan-Boltzmann we have P = eAT4 so that

P/A = (0.72)(5.6710-8)2424 = 140 W m-2.
climate model.
P/A = (1)(5.6710-8)2884 = 390 W m-2 (amount radiated)

P/A = 140 W m-2 (amount absorbed from atmosphere)
390 - 140 = 250 W m-2 (amount absorbed from sun)
climate model.
P/A = (0.72)(5.6710-8)(242+6)4 = 154 W m-2.

climate model.
Amount absorbed from sun 250 W m-2 is still same.

P/A = 154 W m-2 + 250 W m-2 = 404 W m-2.
climate model.
From Stefan-Boltzmann we have P = AT4.

Thus P/A = T4 or 404 = 5.6710-8T4, and
T = 291 K, or an increase of 291 – 288 = 3 K.

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Topic 8: Energy, power, climate change

8.5 Greenhouse effect

April, 2002, Terra satellite, NASA

Pincident = 340 W m-2

The natural frequency of greenhouse gases is in

Rotation refers to the

When bathed in ambient white light a solid is

EXAMPLE: The sun’s surface

The emissivity of a body can be determined using

The surface heat capacity is the amount of energy

EXAMPLE: Assuming no Earth radiation,

From Stefan-Boltzmann we have P = eAT4 so that

P/A = (1)(5.6710-8)2884 = 390 W m-2 (amount radiated)

P/A = (0.72)(5.6710-8)(242+6)4 = 154 W m-2.

Amount absorbed from sun 250 W m-2 is still same.

From Stefan-Boltzmann we have P = AT4.

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