2.

The Greenhouse Effect and the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect

What controls climate?

SUN

Energy from the Sun Radiation Consider the 4 inner planets of the solar system
+ercury &."' ,enus &.(2 Earth % +ars %.)

Relative Distance from Sun

Scales with 1 distance2

22)& # m$2

**& # m$2

Recei!es %)& # m$2 "42 # m$2 solar radiation

Planetary Albedo

- fraction of the incoming solar radiation .S/ is reflected 0ac1 into space2 the rest is a0sor0ed 0y the planet. Each planet has a different reflecti!ity2 or al0edo .3/

Earth 3 4 &."% ."%5 reflected2 *'5 a0sor0ed/ +ars 3 4 &.%) ,enus 3 4 &.)' +ercury 3 4 &.%

6et incoming solar radiation 4 S.% $ 3/ 7ne possi0le 8ay of changing Earths climate is 0y changing its al0edo.

Land has higher albedo than ocean Clouds have high albedo

ce and snow have high albedo

Christmas fires in S!dne! 2""1#2""2

Smo$e aerosol more reflective than ocean

Radiative Equilibrium

Each planet must 0alance net incoming solar radiation 8ith outgoing radiation2 determined 0y its temperature. Stefan$9olt:mann ;a8

<- 0ody at temperature T radiates energy at a rate proportional to T4 = .T in >el!in/

9alance incoming and outgoing radiation 6et incoming radiation47utgoing radiation S.%$3/ 4 ? T4
.? is the Stefan$9olt:mann constant 4 ).*( @ %&$A # m$2 >$4/

Temperature of the inner planets

S.%$3/ 4 ? T
4

Rearranging T 4

.? 4 ).*( @ %&$A # m$2 >$4/

Relative distance .ercur! Solar radiation %S& W m'2

S.%$ 3/ ?

D T.-C& 8 ,%9& ' 250

*+uilib 'rium , %-C& (ctual surface , %-C&

(lbedo %)&

Net solar radiation S%1' )&

"/01 "/52 1 1/2

222" 66" 072 12"

"/1 "/21 "/01 "/12 206 '11

13" 720 12 '70

4enus

*arth

.ars

Temperature of the inner planets

S.%$3/ 4 ? T
4

Rearranging T 4

.? 4 ).*( @ %&$A # m$2 >$4/

Relative distance .ercur! Solar radiation %S& W m'2

S.%$ 3/ ?

D T.-C& 8 ,%9& ' 250

*+uilib 'rium , %-C& (ctual surface , %-C&

(lbedo %)&

Net solar radiation S%1' )&

"/01 "/52 1 1/2

222" 66" 072 12"

"/1 "/21 "/01 "/12

2"22 251 206 123

162 '1" '11 '22

13" 720 12 '70

:ust about agrees

4enus

Disagrees badl!
*arth

Disagrees
.ars

Nearl! agrees

The Greenhouse Effect

Radiati!e eEuili0rium 8or1s for +ercury .no atmosphere/ and Fust a0out for +ars .thin atmosphere/ The disagreement for ,enus and the Earth is 0ecause these t8o planets ha!e atmospheres containing certain gases 8hich modify their surface temperatures. This is the Greenhouse Effect in action Earths surface is "4GC 8armer than if there 8ere no atmosphere ,enus has a runa8ay Greenhouse effect2 and is o!er 4&&GC 8armer +ars atmosphere slightly 8arms its surface2 0y a0out %&GC The e@istence of the Greenhouse Effect is uni!ersally accepted .it is not contro!ersial/2 and it lin1s the composition of a planets atmosphere to its surface temperature.

*arth;s Climate S!stem (bout 01<

reflected into s=ace ,errestrial radiation

Sun
Solar radiation

-tmosphere

61< absorbed at surface

;and

7cean

Ice

Su0$surface Earth

*arth;s *nerg! >alance

Enhanced greenhouse effect

,errestrial radiation .ore greenhouse gasesA more radiation absorbed
,o get same amount of net radiationA need higher surface tem=eratures

*?tract and burn fossil fuels add C@2 to atmos=here

Composition of the Atmosphere

6itrogen 7@ygen -rgon Car0on Jio@ide +ethane Kydrogen 6itrous 7@ide 7:one #ater 62 72 -r C72 CK4 K2 627 7" K27 (A.&A45 2&.'4A5 &.'"45 &.&"*5 ."*& ppm!/ %.( ppm! &.)) ppm! &."% ppm!
%&$)&& pp0! .troposphere/ &.)$%& ppm! .stratosphere/

%&& ppt! 45

Greenhouse Gases

- greenhouse gas is one that a0sor0s terrestrial .;#/ radiation2 i.e. emitted from the Earths surfaceLatmosphere

Rising le!els of C722 6272 and CK4 as a result of human acti!ity -erosols also from human acti!ity

%4

(erosols

Clumps of molecules typically of order % micron .% Mm 4 %&$* m/ in diameter2 e.g.2 sulphate aerosol2 formed 8hen S72 is o@idised. +ain effect is to reflect incoming solar radiation effecti!ely increasing al0edo .e.g. Sydney fires image earlier/ Ka:e in the atmosphere is due to aerosols most aerosols are directly lin1ed to air pollution .0ut also natural sources2 e.g. !olcanoes/ Generally ha!e a cooling influence on climate they act to offset the 8arming from greenhouse gases -erosols ha!e short residence times in the atmosphere .days/. This means they are not 8ell$mi@ed through the atmosphere .unli1e2 e.g.2 C72/. So aerosols are mainly found close to their sources .e.g.2 o!er industrialised countries/. -erosol impact on climate is much more uncertain than the effect of greenhouse gases +easures to reduce air pollution .e.g.2 S72/2 are remo!ing the cooling influence of aerosols2 i.e. adding to the 8arming from GKGs

#arming from increases in greenhouse gases

General cooling from increases in aerosols 0ut high uncertainty

INCC.2&&(/

,he *nhanced Breenhouse *ffect

Solar %S& and longwave %L& radiation in Wm2 at the to= of the atmos=here
S 2"* ; 2"* S 2"* ; 2"2 S 2"* ; 2"* S 2"* ; 2"*

T 4 %AGC

C72 @ 2 O Peed0ac1s K27 .O*&5/ IceL-l0edo .O2&5/ CloudQ 7ceanQ

C72 @ 2

C72 @ 2

TS 4 %)GC

TS 4 %)GC

TS R %.2>

TS R 2.)>

Summar! 2 %Breenhouse *ffectC&

Radiation from the Sun dri!es our climate 7ur distance from the Sun2 and the reflecti!ity of the Earth determines ho8 much radiation is a0sor0ed Earths atmosphere traps outgoing radiation .the Greenhouse Effect/2 8arming the surface 0y a0out "4GC 7n ,enus2 a runa8ay Greenhouse Effect 8arms its surface 0y o!er 4&&GCS +ars thin atmosphere 8arms its surface 0y a0out %&GC So there is good e!idence from the other planets that the atmospheric composition is important in determining the surface temperature Glo0al #arming is often called The Greenhouse Effect really it is the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect the addition of more Greenhouse Gases .mainly from 0urning fossil fuels/ to the atmosphere enhances the e@isting effect. Kumans ha!e also changed the Earths al0edo mainly 0y adding aerosols to the atmosphere these tend to cool climate2 offsetting the GKG 8arming