1. the Natural Greenhouse Effect
Section 3
Radiative Balance and
the Natural Greenhouse Effect

2. Learning Targets:
 I can explain factors that cause the dynamic balance in the atmosphere to change.
 I can model and explain the relationships and energy flow existing in various Earth systems (atmosphere)

3. 30. Earth exchanges energy with its environment primarily through transfers of electromagnetic radiation.

4. 31. At anytime our planet is simultaneously absorbing energy from the sun and radiating energy back into space.

5. Why does the temperature remains stable over long periods of time on Earth?
The temperature remains stable because the planet radiates energy back to space at a rate that closely balances the energy input it receives from the sun.

6. List 3 types of radiation the Sun emits.
Radiation from the Sun with varying wavelengths along the electromagnetic spectrum is known as
solar radiation.
List 3 types of radiation the Sun emits.
visible light, ultraviolet and infrared radiation

7. 35. When visible solar radiation reaches Earth, it may be absorbed by clouds, the atmosphere, or the planet's surface.

8. What raises Earth's surface temperature
What raises Earth's surface temperature? Solar radiation is absorbed by the Earth’s surface and is transformed into heat energy.
Some outgoing infrared energy emitted from the Earth is trapped in the atmosphere and prevented from escaping to space, through a natural process called the greenhouse effect.

9. The most abundant gases in the Ar Ar Ar
The most abundant gases in the
atmosphere—nitrogen, oxygen, and argon—neither absorb nor emit terrestrial or solar radiation. Ar Ar

10. What in the atmosphere can absorb long-wave radiation? –
clouds, water vapor,
carbon dioxide,
methane, and
nitrous oxide

11. Due to the natural greenhouse effect,
Why is the amount of heat received by the surface actually much larger (3x) than the amount the surface receives in solar radiation?
Due to the natural greenhouse effect,
the result is a surface temperature on average around 15°C (60°F), as compared to temperatures colder than –18°C (0°F) if there were no greenhouse effect.