Study Questions: Global Energy Budget and Global Warming
1. Suppose there were no atmosphere around our planet. How would we figure out the mean surface temperature and about what would it be in Kelvin?
2. Both the ozone hole and the greenhouse effect are due to the interactions of atmospheric gases with radiation. What are the differences?
3. Suppose planet A emits 1 unit of energy per area per unit time and planet B emits 1.6 x10^5 units of energy per area per unit time.
(a) What is the ratio of their mean temperatures?
(b) Suppose planet A emits mostly in the infrared, at about 10 microns. What is the wavelength of most of the radiation of planet B?
4. Why do clouds at night warm the Earth below while clouds during the day cool it?
5. If one side of a roof has snow (a good absorber and emitter of infrared radiation) on it and one side doesn't, which side loses more heat during clear cold nights?
6. How large are the mean temperature changes predicted by climate models for the next 50 years? In what region of the globe will they be highest?