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What controls climate?

SUN. Relative Distance from Sun. Mercury. Venus. Earth. Mars. 1. 0.39. 0.72. 1.5. Scales with 1 distance 2. What controls climate?. Energy from the Sun – Radiation Consider the 4 inner planets of the solar system:. Receives 342 W m -2 solar radiation. 2250 W m -2. 660 W m -2.

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What controls climate?

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  1. SUN Relative Distance from Sun Mercury Venus Earth Mars 1 0.39 0.72 1.5 Scales with 1 distance2 What controls climate? • Energy from the Sun – Radiation • Consider the 4 inner planets of the solar system: Receives 342 W m-2 solar radiation 2250 W m-2 660 W m-2 150 W m-2

  2. Planetary Albedo • A fraction of the incoming solar radiation (S) is reflected back into space, the rest is absorbed by the planet. Each planet has a different reflectivity, or albedo (α): • Earth α = 0.31 (31% reflected, 69% absorbed) • Mars α = 0.15 • Venus α = 0.59 • Mercury α = 0.1 • Net incoming solar radiation = S(1 - α) • One possible way of changing Earth’s climate is by changing its albedo.

  3. Land has higher albedo than ocean Clouds have high albedo Ice and snow have high albedo

  4. Christmas fires in Sydney 2001/2002 Smoke aerosolmore reflective than ocean

  5. Radiative Equilibrium • Each planet must balance net incoming solar radiation with outgoing radiation, determined by its temperature. • Stefan-Boltzmann Law: • “A body at temperature T radiates energy at a rate proportional to T4 ” (T in Kelvin) • Balance incoming and outgoing radiation: Net incoming radiation=Outgoing radiation S(1-α) = σ T4 (σ is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant = 5.67 x 10-8 W m-2 K-4)

  6. The ‘Greenhouse Effect’ • Radiative equilibrium works for Mercury (no atmosphere) and just about for Mars (thin atmosphere) • The disagreement for Venus and the Earth is because these two planets have atmospheres containing certain gases which modify their surface temperatures. • This is the ‘Greenhouse Effect’ in action: Earth’s surface is 34°C warmer than if there were no atmosphere Venus has a ‘runaway’ Greenhouse effect, and is over 400°C warmer Mars atmosphere slightly warms its surface, by about 10°C • The existence of the Greenhouse Effect is universally accepted (it is not controversial), and it links the composition of a planet’s atmosphere to its surface temperature.

  7. About 31% reflected into space Solar radiation Terrestrial radiation 69% absorbed at surface Earth’s ClimateSystem Sun Atmosphere Land Ocean Ice Sub-surface Earth

  8. Earth’s Energy Balance

  9. To get same amount of net radiation, need higher surface temperatures Terrestrial radiation Extract and burn fossil fuels add CO2 to atmosphere Enhanced greenhouse effect More greenhouse gases, more radiation absorbed

  10. Composition of the Atmosphere Nitrogen N2 78.084% Oxygen O2 20.948% Argon Ar 0.934% • Carbon Dioxide CO2 0.036% (360 ppmv) • Methane CH4 1.7 ppmv Hydrogen H2 0.55 ppmv • Nitrous Oxide N2O 0.31 ppmv • Ozone O310-500 ppbv (troposphere) 0.5-10 ppmv (stratosphere) • Water H2O 100 pptv – 4% Greenhouse Gases A greenhouse gas is one that absorbs terrestrial (LW)radiation, i.e. emitted from the Earth’s surface/atmosphere

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