Study Guide (lecture #3)

Book pages: 46-57, *

* supplemented by "glass slab" handout

Review: (lecture #2)

• - land/sea dist.
• - radiation
• - energy balance model

Today's topics:

• - "glass slab" (energy balance) model formulas & solutions
• - iterative (energy balance) model w/ sfc heat fluxes
• - radiation by latitude

Jargon:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Glass slab" model of atmosphere example

The table below (figure) used in lecture: illustrates iterative version of "glass slab" model. To properly display the "table" stretch width of your browser so that the color bars are fully displayed.

Using the same absorbtivities: 19/70 = a_A A_A = 0.9: That are determined from fig. 3.4:

70     9.5     6.1     27.2     2.7     12.3       1.2   5.5       .6       2.5       .3       1.1       .1     .5       ^ = 69.6

-|-----^-- --^------^--- ---^------^---- ---^-----^--- ---^-----^-- ---^------^--- --^----^

  -- >19         -- > 54.5         -- > 24.5         -- >11.         -- > 5           -- > 2.2           1             = 117.2 abs.

-|-----|--- --^------|---- --^-------|---- ---^-------|-- ---^------|-- ---^------|--- ---^----|-

51     9.5   60.5   27.2   27.2     12.3       12.3     5.5       5.5     2.5     2.5     1.1     1.1   .5         ^ = 109.1

• numbers are rounded.          
• ^ means directed upward          
• | means directed downward.

• Top row: balance w.r.t. space
• middle row: atmospheric absorptions
• bottom row: balance w.r.t. ground

The radiation leaving the top (^) balances the radiation coming in (="70").

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Energy balance as a function of latitude (fig 3.6)

(zonal & vertical average)

Zonal & vertical average of radiative properties