SCI201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Global Warming, Black Body, Radiant Flux

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Science
• Course: SCI201
• Professor: Yuri Leonenko

Document Summary

At certain wavelengths, our air absorbs all radiation and acts as a black body. At very short visible wavelengths the atmosphere does not absorb much of the radiation. Water in the atmosphere does not absord visible light radiation, and it transmits the radiation through. At longer ir wavelengths, the atmosphere absorbs almost al of the radiation water in the atmosphere absorbs ir radiation (none is transmitted to the earths surface) Atmosphere acts as a black body for ir radiation. The earth radiates at certain wavelengths that are absorbed by the atmosphere, and therefore not emitted into space. The atmosphere is closer to a black body than it is to a transparent body. All incoming radiation enters the earth (none is absorbed by the atmosphere) Atmosphere is transparent to solar radiation and albedo. All incoming radiation is absorbed (sun radiation does not reach the earth) The atmosphere radiates energy to the earth and to space.