Midterm 1 Energy Balance

Question 1

Everything above 0k (1K = 1C = 1.8F)
emits radiation, and the ___ it is, the more radiation it emits and the shorter the radiation’s wavelength.

Answer 1

Warmer

Question 2

How warm should the Earth be?

If Earth’s temperature is stable, then it should be radiation / ____ in, radiation/ ____ out

Answer 2

Energy

Question 3

A warmer Earth will _____ more energy, if more energy in (stronger sun, greenhouse effect, etc.),
planet has to warm to send more energy out to balance

Answer 3

Lose

Question 4

Earth’s greenhouse effect

Answer 4

33°C = 59°F (i.e., 1°C change = 1.8°F change)

Question 5

How does the greenhouse effect work?

Greenhouse gases are mostly ______ to incoming shortwave (solar) radiation

Greenhouse gases mostly______ to outgoing longwave (earth) radiation

The atmosphere treats solar and earth radiation
differently because they have different wavelengths
(the hotter sun emits shorter wavelengths than the
cooler earth)

Answer 5

transparent, opaque

Question 6

GHGs absorb outgoing radiation ,,, atmosphere warms,,, atmosphere emits radiation, some
back down to surface, heating the surface

Water vapor is biggest GHG, but it is a feedback not a forcing (it amplifies a change in climate
driven by something else, but can’t drive climate change on its own)

GHGs are trace gases that make up <1% of atmosphere

Question 7

Global Temperature Knobs, or what it depends on

Answer 7

1: Solar Output
2: Albedo
3: Strength of Greenhouse Effect

Question 8

Stronger sunlight and radiation surplus in tropics

Weaker sunlight and radiation deficit at poles

Question 9

Ocean and atmospheric circulation transport heat from low to high latitudes to make up for this local
radiation imbalance

– the larger the temperature difference between the pole and equator, the stronger
the atmosphere’s circulation