The simple model we developed in this chapter assumes all energy transport in our atmosphere is by radiation. In the real atmosphere, however, other transport pathways exist. One neglected pathway is convection, such as thunderstorms, which carry energy from the surface to the atmosphere. For this problem, assume that a planet with a onelayer atmosphere has an energy in of 300W/m².

(a) If we assume the only energy transport is by radiation (Figure 4.5), what is the surface temperature of the planet?

(b) Let’s assume that convection occurs on this planet (Figure 4.8) and it carries 80W/m² from the surface to the atmosphere. How does this change the other fluxes (relative to a planet with no convection)?

(c) What is the surface temperature of the planet with convection? In one sentence, what is the impact of convection on the surface temperature?

Figure 4.5

Figure 4.8

Transcribed Image Text:

Sun 238 476 12 atmosphere 238 238