- Chapter 7: Solar Radiation

The sun is an average star of average intensity. However, the effects are anything but average The extraordinary life that exists on the earth is due to the energy from the sun The sun itself is a ball of gases undergoing a constant state of nuclear fusion. All object above absolute zero emit energy in the form of electromagnetic waves The hotter the body, the more energy that is given off The greater the temperature, the hotter the wave length.

The solar radiation - the source The sun is like a giant furnace The energy emitted is enormous Since the sun is a hot body, it emits short wave radiation What is the sun made of? The sun emits solar radiation in all direction at the same time The earth only captures a small fraction of heat energy yet it is enough to fuel all life on the planet and in great abundance Once the solar radiation reaches the earth, those rays that do make the trip must then contend with the earth's atmosphere

There are different layers of the earth's atmosphere Each layer contributes to the change in the radiation that the earth receives from the sun Since air is full of gases and particulates, it has density Beginning at the earth's surface we have the Troposphere It is 0-12 km (~7milles) on average The top ranges in height from 8 km at the poles to 18 km at the equator It contains most of the moisture in the atmosphere, so it is the layer of weather or climate to us. So, all weather occurs in the troposphere Because of the cooler temperature as it goes higher, it is in constant motion The main heating source is the Earth's surface Next is the stratosphere Between 12 and 50km, however, the temperature rises This places warm air above cooler air, which is a stable arrangement. The result is a layer in which little vertical mixing occurs That is, the layer is stratified, hence its name, the stratosphere Normally, neither clouds nor storms reach into this region The boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere is called the tropopause Its height ranges from 8 km (26,000 ft) at the poles to 18 km (59000 ft) at the equator Ozone generating reaction in the stratosphere is the main heat source

Mesosphere: Above the stratosphere, temperature once again falls with increasing elevation, marking the mesosphere The final rise in the temperature occurs within the thermosphere above 80km (50mi) This heating is caused by the action of high-energy radiation from the Sun on the extremely thin air The effect is that a negatively charged electron is knocked out of free oxygen (O), molecular oxygen (O2), or nitrogen oxide (NO), leaving them as positively charged ions. Their temperature is raised in the process, and because there are so few molecules per cubic centimeter at this height, it takes very little energy to produce large increases in temperature Because the lower portion of the thermosphere is characterized by the presence of ions, it is also referred to the ionosphere. The final layer is the exosphere Since this layer is almost indistinguishable from outer space, many in the scientific community doubt its parameters and its existence as a distinct sphere. The exosphere is the most distant atmospheric region from Earth's surface In the exosphere, an upward travelling molecule can escape to space (if it is moving fast enough) or be pulled back to Earth by gravity (if it isn't with little probability of colliding with another molecule) The altitude of its lower boundary, known as the thermopause or exobase, ranges from about 150 to 300 miles (250-500 km) depending on solar activity The upper boundary can be defined theoretically by the altitude (about 120000 mile, half the distance to the Moon) at which the influence of solar radiation pressure on atomic hydrogen velocities exceeds that of the Earth's gravitational pull The exosphere observable from space as the geocorona is seen to extend to at least 60000 miles from the surface of the Earth The exosphere is a transitional zone between Earth's atmosphere and interplanetary space. The gases and particles in out atmosphere further dilute the solar radiation to a more manageable level The amount of solar radiation that is available for our use is called the solar radiation

The amount of solar radiation that the earth received is balanced with the amount it loses If the earth and the Earth's atmosphere retains more solar energy than it radiates back to space, the Earth will warm. If the Earth and the Earth-system radiates more energy to space than it receives from the sun, the Earth will cool Scientists think of the Radiation Budget in terms of a see-saw or balance. If the Earth retains more energy from the Sun, the Earth warms and emits more infrared energy. This brings the Earth's Radiation Budget into balance If the Earth emits more of this energy that it absorbs, the Earth cools As it cools, the Earth emits less energy. This change also brings the Radiation Budget back into balance Absorbed sunlight raises the Earth's temperature. Emitted radiation or hear lowers the temperature When absorbed sunlight and emitted heat balance each other, the Earth's temperature doesn't change - the radiation budget is in balance Basic Parts of the Radiation Budget Solar Incident Energy Solar Reflected Energy Earth Emitted Energy Incoming solar radiation is absorbed by the Earth's surface, water vapor, gases, and aerosols in the atmosphere This incoming solar radiation (insolation) is also reflected by the Earth's surface, by clouds, and by the atmosphere Energy that is absorbed is emitted by the Earth-atmosphere system as long-wave radiation. So, a recap.... Shortwave radiation is emitted by hot bodies And cooler bodies give off long-wave radiation Sometimes the shortwave radiation emitted from the sun makes in through all of the pollutants, water vapor, clouds, and such , and makes it all the way to the earth's surface This is called direct shortwave radiation The shortwave radiation that is reflected, absorbed and re-emitted or goes through any other change but still reaches the surface of the earth is called indirect shortwave radiation. What absorbs the radiation? The atmosphere is full of many components

Page 124 Figure 7.5 lists several of these components (Pay attention to this!)

Solar energy relies on this radiation This is why solar collectors can work on a cloudy day The shortwave radiation that contacts that earth directly is called direct shortwave radiation What do you think is indirect shortwave radiation (pg 124)? All surfaces on earth have a degree of reflectivity Have you noticed the difference between a black car and a white car in the sunshine? Darker colours absorb ore radiant energy while lightly colors reflect more radiant energy The amount of reflectivity is called albedo. Understanding albedo is key to understanding how ice ages occur and how glaciers develop Texture also affects the albedo Rough surfaces do not reflect as easily as smooth surfaces From the previous slide, it can be seen that water absorbs solar radiation

Because eater absorbs radiation and heats up slowly, it has a great effect on the temperature As the earth absorbs radiation, it re-emits it as long wave radiation This is how the greenhouse effect operates See the diagram on page 127 Farmers understood the concept of solar radiation even if they did not understand the science behind it Farmers and orchard owners learned that if they wanted to protect the crops from frost, they could burn smudge pots Frost occurs when the sky is clear and the temperature drops The moisture in the atmosphere will coalesce and the lower temperature will cause the moisture to freeze The clear sky allows the long wave radiation to leave the earth in large amounts The smudge pots create an artificial cloud cover which keeps the radiation on the ground This keeps the temperature at a safe enough level to keep the plants from suffering frostbite The greenhouse operates the same way The long wave radiation re-emitted from the earth cannot penetrate glass or cloud and so is re-reflected back to the earths surface