HY-513 Hydrometeorology and Climate Change

Assignment 1
Total Points - 20
Due on 25th January 2019
Instructor - Jaya Khanna
Department of Hydrology, IIT, Roorkee, India

January 12, 2019

Survey of radiative emission temperatures and atmospheres of various planets

of the solar system
In the following problem we will try to understand how planets hold their atmospheres, and
how is this correlated with their distance from the sun. Remember in the class we discussed
that gravity is the force which holds the Earth’s atmosphere together? Well, as you may
guess, this phenomenon applies equally well to all heavenly objects in this universe. But
suppose the atmosphere of a planet gets heated up for some reason so that the molecules of
the atmosphere start to move with greater kinetic energy. It might very well happen that the
kinetic energy of the molecules, gained due to the thermal excitation of the gas, overcomes
the gravitational pull of the planet and so as a result the molecules could ‘escape’ the planet.
In this exercise we will first estimate the radiative equilibrium surface temperatures of a
couple planets of our solar system. Next we will estimate the thermal velocities resulting
from this temperature and compare that with the ‘gravitational escape velocity’ of the planet
due to its mass and gravitational pull. Then as we compare the two velocities we will find
out which planet is susceptible to having no atmosphere. (12 points)

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Problem 1. (a) Determine the radiative emission temperature of the planet Mercury. The
mean radius of Mercury’s orbit around the sun is 57.91 million km. Radiative power emitted
by sun, Ps = 3.86×1026 W. Radius is 2440 km. Planetary albedo is 0.12. (2 points)

(b) The gravitational escape velocity for a planet with mass M and radius Rplanet is given
by: s
2GM
vescape = , (1)
Rplanet

where, G is the universal gravitational constant 6.67×10−11 Nm2 kg−2 .

Estimate the escape velocity for Mercury given its mass is 3.3011×1023 kg. (1 point)

(c) The thermal velocity of the molecules of a gas is given by the kinetic theory of gases. The
mean speed of a volume of gaseous molecules at a temperature Tgas with a mean molecular
mass of Mmolecule is: r
8kB Tgas
v= , (2)
πMmolecule
where, kB is the Boltzmann constant 1.38×10−23 m2 kg s−2 K−1 .
Estimate the thermal ‘average’ molecular speed of the Mercurian atmosphere ‘assuming’
an average molecular mass of 0.029 amu (amu = Atomic mass units). NOTE: the average
molecular mass of Earth’s atmosphere is 0.029 amu. Hence we are calculating the thermal
molecular speed on Mercury if it had a Earth like atmosphere. (1 point)

(d) Can Mercury sustain an atmosphere which has an average molecular mass similar to that
of the Earth? Comment based on the calculations above. (0.5 point)

(e) Similarly estimate vescape and v for the Earth using the following -
At the emission temperature of the Earth without an atmosphere we estimated in the class
and at the Earth’s actual observed average temperature ≈ 290K. Given mass of the Earth
is 5.972×1024 kg and molecular mass of Earth’s atmosphere is 0.029 amu. (2 points)

(f) Can the Earth sustain an atmosphere at its present temperature? Comment using the
calculations above. (0.5 point)

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(g) Assume that the Earth had only Helium in its atmosphere. Could such an atmosphere
be sustained by the Earth at its present temperature? Molecular mass of Helium is 0.004
amu. Do you know that Earth’s atmosphere has very little Helium (around 0.0005%) and
hydrogen (around 0.00005%)? Based on the calculation above, can you comment on why
these gases are so rare in the Earth’s atmosphere as compared to other heavier gases like
Nitrogen (78%) and Oxygen (21%)? (0.5 point)

(h) If the emitted solar power Ps was to increase by three times do you think the Earth
would still be able to sustain its atmosphere? (2 points)

(i) Similarly estimate vescape for Jupiter and comment on why there is abundance of gases
like Hydrogen and Helium in Jupiter’s atmosphere.
Given: Jupiter’s distance from the sun is 778.5 million km, Jupiter’s mass is 1.898×1027 kg,
Jupiter’s radius is 69911 km. Albedo is 52%. (2.5 points)

Survey of Green House effect on a planet

In the class we have estimated the blackbody radiative equilibrium temperatures for (i) an
Earth with no atmosphere, (ii) an Earth with a single layer of an opaque atmosphere and
(iii) an Earth with a single layer of a ‘translucent’ atmosphere. We found that without an
atmosphere the average surface temperature of the Earth turns out to be about 35 degrees
cooler than its observed value 288 K. When an opaque atmosphere is introduced then the
atmosphere starts to absorb all of the out going radiation and re-radiate it in all directions.
Which means some of this radiation is returned to the surface of the Earth which then raises
the surface temperature further. This is the so-called ‘green-house’ effect of the atmosphere
on the Earth. But the surface temperature obtained in this (around 303 K) way is higher
than what we observe on the Earth. To remedy this we considered a leaky or translucent
atmospheric layer which results in a reduction in the radiative equilibrium temperature of the
Earth. So we find that the presence and the characteristics of the atmosphere have a great
impact on surface temperature. In this exercise we will understand some more interesting
impacts of the atmosphere on surface temperature by the green house effect. (8 points)

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FIGURE 2.8. A Problem 2. Now
leaky greenhouse. consider
In contrast an the
to Fig. 2.7, Earth-atmosphere system
atmosphere now absorbs which εhas
only a fraction, two
, of the ‘opaque’ layers of
terrestrial radiation upwelling from the ground.
atmosphere as shown in the figure.

FIGURE 2.9. An ‘‘opaque’’ greenhouse made up of two layers of atmosphere. Each layer completely absorbs
the IR radiation impinging
Figure on1:it. An ‘opaque’ greenhouse made up of two layers of atmosphere. Each layer com-
pletely absorbs the IR radiation impinging on it.
layer-by-layer—which depends on the ver- The resulting profile, which would be the
tical distribution of absorbers, particularly actual mean atmospheric temperature pro-
H2 O, CO2 , and O3 (see section 3.1.2)—and file if heat transport in the atmosphere occurred
(a) Write down the energy
do the required budgets for each layer and balance equations
only through at thetransfer,
radiative surface,isat the interface
known as between layers
at the surface (we are not going to do this). the radiative equilibrium temperature pro-
A and B, and at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), i.e. above the atmospheric layer A. (2
An incomplete schematic of how this might file. It is shown in Fig. 2.11. In particular,
look for a rather opaque
point) atmosphere is note the presence of a large temperature
shown in Fig. 2.10. discontinuity at the surface in the radiative

(b) Now solve for Ts , Tb and Ta . (3 points)

(c) Observe the energy balance equation obtained at TOA in (a). Compare this with the
similar equation we found for a single layer opaque atmosphere in the class. Do you notice
that these equations are the same? Can you explain based on this similarity what controls
the temperature Ta of the top most atmospheric layer for an opaque atmosphere? (1 point)

(d) From the calculations in (b), can you put Ts , Tb and Ta in an increasing order of
magnitude? Comment on the physical reasons behind what you find. (1 point)

(e) Comment on what happens to Ts if we keep adding more atmospheric layers? (1 point)