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Atmosphere Layers, Temperature
and Greenhouse Effect Activity
from Little Shop of Physics
Randy Russell
UCAR Center for Science Education
The Warmer the Object, the More Heat Emitted
• Objects above absolute zero emit EM radiation (usually IR)
• Stefan-Boltzmann Law tells how much energy emitted
Energy Emitted (watts per square meter)
1,800
1,600
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
0
50
100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450
Temperature (kelvins)
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Heat Energy Emitted
Stefan-Boltzmann Law in LSOP Activity
Heat Energy Emitted vs
Temperature
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0
5
10
15
20
25
Temperature
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
30
1,800
Heat Energy Emitted vs
Temperature
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Energy Emitted (watts per square meter)
Heat Energy Emitted
Stefan-Boltzmann Law in LSOP Activity
1,600
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
0
5
10
15
20
Temperature
25
30
0
50
100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450
Temperature (kelvins)
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Modeling Planetary Energy Balance
• Calculate theoretical temperature of a planet with some simple math
• Discover that Earth would be frozen without the greenhouse effect
Science Topics
• Blackbody Radiator and the Stefan-Boltzman Law
• Conservation of Energy (Energy In = Energy Out)
• Albedo
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Let’s add some atmosphere…
How will this change the behavior of our model?
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
LSOP Model - Atmosphere
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Turn 1 – Radiate Phase
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Turn 1 – Absorb Phase
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Change – Initial State to Turn 1
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Net Energy Budget: Energy In – Energy Out
Energy In – Energy Out = 3 – 1 = +2
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Change from Initial State to Turn 1
Energy In – Energy Out = 3 – 1 = +2
+2
-1
+1
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Turn 1 – Radiate, then Absorb
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Turn 2 – Radiate, then Absorb
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Turn 3 – Radiate, then Absorb
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Graph of Spinup to Equilibrium
30
25
20
Earth temperature
15
Lower atmosphere temperature
Upper atmosphere temperature
10
5
0
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Time
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
What is “wrong” with this model?
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Turn 4 – Radiate, then Absorb
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Turn 5 – Radiate, then Absorb
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Net Energy Budget?
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Net Change After 2 Turns of Night
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Spinup to Dynamic Equilibrium
25
20
Temperature
15
Earth temperature
Lower atmosphere temperature
Upper atmosphere temperature
10
5
0
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Time
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Show Movies
•
•
•
•
Model Spinup
Equilibrium
Spinup – with day/night cycle
Dynamic Equilibrium
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
LSOP Model – No Atmosphere
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Turn 1 – Radiate Phase
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Turn 1 – Absorb Phase
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Turn 2 – Radiate Phase
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Turn 2 – Absorb Phase
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Turn 3 – Radiate Phase
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Turn 3 – Absorb Phase
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Turn 4 – Radiate Phase
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Turn 4 – Absorb Phase
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Graph of “data” from model run “experiment”
Moon - no atmosphere, no day/night
20
19
18
Temperature
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Time
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Turn 4 – Radiate Phase - Night
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
Turn 4 – Absorb Phase - Night
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
No Atmosphere Spinup to Equilibrium
20
18
16
14
Temperature
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
0
3
6
9
12
15
18
21
24
27
30
33
Time
LSOP Atmosphere Layers & GHE Model Activity
36