Energy Balance with a Greenhouse Atmosphere

Video

A video micro-lecture that discusses Earth’s energy balance and the greenhouse effect of the atmosphere.

Students will learn how to determine the surface temperature of planet Earth with no atmosphere and with 1- and 2-layer atmosphere. They will also understand the greenhouse effect of the Earth’s atmosphere.

Use this tool to help students find answers to:

  1. Why does the surface temperature of Earth increase due to the greenhouse effect of the Earth’s atmosphere?
  2. What is the energy budget of a bare blackbody Earth and of Earth with an atmosphere?

Image credit: US EPA, Royal Society

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By Prof. David Archer, the University of Chicago

Hosted at Kaltura, video hosting platform


Language: English

Location: Global

Grade: High School, Undergraduate

Access: Online

Computer Skills: Basic


Discipline: Physics, Earth Sciences

Discipline Topics: Blackbody Radiation, Stefan-Boltzmann Law

Climate Topics: Planetary Energy Balance, Climate and the Atmosphere