Planetary Temperatures

Planetary Temperatures Reading A reading that discusses the blackbody emission properties of the Sun and planets, describes the calculation of planetary temperatures by using the Stefan-Boltzmann Law, and explains the effect of atmospheres on planetary temperatures. Students will learn to apply the Stefan-Boltzmann equation to determine the total energy flux emitted by the Sun’s surface […]
Planck’s Law and Earth’s Climate

Planck’s Law and Earth’s Climate Video A video lecture titled, ‘Planck’s distribution and Inverse square law’ from the e-learning course, ‘Introduction to Atmospheric Science’ developed by C Balaji, IIT Madras, for National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), India. These video lecture gives a detailed explanation about Planck’s Law for black body distribution. It also […]
Planetary Energy Balance

Planetary Energy Balance Teaching Module A teaching module including readings and associated links by the American Chemical Society that discusses the balance between incoming solar energy and outgoing terrestrial energy and its relationship with the surface temperature of the Earth. This overview reading can be used as an introduction to the topic by teachers interested […]
Simple Atmospheric Model

Simple Atmospheric Model Reading A reading that introduces a single-layer atmosphere model, which is based on the emissivity of thermal radiation, to explain atmospheric warming. Students will learn about the absorptivity and emissivity of grey bodies, the equation for planetary energy balance, and emission profiles of different sources while understanding a simple model to determine […]