Energy Balance 2 Quiz

What is the equation for the energy emitted by the Earth?

What is the value of the solar flux (S) in W/m2?

What does the albedo (A) value of 0.3 represent?

What does the Stefan-Boltzmann constant (σ) represent?

What is the simple result of balancing incoming and outgoing energy for both the atmosphere and the Earth's surface?

Which gas can absorb or emit infrared energy by changing its rotation rate?

What percentage of IR radiation longer than 13 µm is nearly completely absorbed by CO2 and H2O during vertical passage through the atmosphere?

What is the major cause of the planetary energy budget imbalance according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, AR5) 2013?

What is the imbalance in the planetary energy budget according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, AR5) 2013?

Which statement about the greenhouse effect is true?

What is the relationship between the temperature at the Earth’s surface (Ts) and the effective temperature of the Earth (Te) in the presence of the one-layer atmosphere?

Which gas can absorb or emit infrared energy by changing its vibration rate?

Energy Balance and Greenhouse Effect

The energy emitted by the Earth is represented by the equation E = σ * (Te^4 - Ts^4), where σ is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant.
The solar flux (S) is approximately 342 W/m^2.
An albedo (A) value of 0.3 represents 30% of incoming solar radiation being reflected back into space.
The Stefan-Boltzmann constant (σ) represents the constant of proportionality in the Stefan-Boltzmann law, relating the energy radiated by a blackbody to its temperature.

Atmospheric Infrared Absorption

CO2 and H2O can absorb or emit infrared energy by changing their rotation rate.
CO2 and H2O can also absorb or emit infrared energy by changing their vibration rate.
About 90% of IR radiation longer than 13 µm is nearly completely absorbed by CO2 and H2O during vertical passage through the atmosphere.

Planetary Energy Budget Imbalance

The major cause of the planetary energy budget imbalance, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, AR5) 2013, is the increasing concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.
The imbalance in the planetary energy budget, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, AR5) 2013, is approximately 0.6 ± 0.4 W/m^2.

Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect is the process by which certain gases in the atmosphere, such as CO2 and H2O, absorb and re-emit infrared radiation, trapping heat in the atmosphere.
In the presence of a one-layer atmosphere, the temperature at the Earth's surface (Ts) is greater than the effective temperature of the Earth (Te).

Test your understanding of the planetary energy balance with this quiz. Explore concepts such as incoming and outgoing radiation, blackbody behavior, and energy equilibrium. Challenge your knowledge of Earth's energy exchanges and related calculations.