Climate Change

EM Radiations and Global Energy Budget

M. Naveed Anwar
Lecturer
Sustainable Development Study Center
Government College University, Lahore.
 Electromagnetic Spectrum

Sensitivity of human eyes to EM radiation

 Definition of visible spectrum

Sept. 7, 2006 EESC W4400x 2

UV Spectrum

λ (nm) Name of UV Location Species

Spectrum Absorbing
10 - 240 Far – UV Thermosphere & O2, N2
(vacuum UV) Mesosphere
250 - 290 UV - C Stratosphere O3

290 - 320 UV - B Stratosphere, O3

Troposphere
320 - 380 UV - A Polluted O2, NO2
Troposphere
400 - 750 Visible Earth’s Surface Many
 Blackbody Equilibrium
(Energy Conservation)

Energy In

Sept. 7, 2006 EESC W4400x 6

 Blackbody Equilibrium
(Energy Conservation)

Energy In = Energy Out

Emitted
“Earthlight”
Sept. 7, 2006 EESC W4400x 7 2
4πR Earth x SEarth
 Blackbody Equilibrium
(Energy Conservation)

Energy In = Energy Out

Consider albedo


Emitted
“Earthlight”
Sept. 7, 2006 EESC W4400x 8 2
4πR Earth x SEarth
Reflection of Solar Radiation:

The Earth’s Albedo

Global Radiation Balance
 Global Radiation Balance
Source of EM Radiation
Reflection/ scattering
• Clouds
• Aerosols 30
100 • Ground surface
Absorption
• Clouds
• Aerosols
• Ground surface 70
• Gases
What
happens Emission
• Clouds
• Ground surface 70
• convective transport
Radiation in the atmosphere

Basic effects:
hυ1
• Absorption
• molecules/particles hυ

• Emission
• molecules/particles/surfaces
hυ2 hυ1
hυ1
• Scattering Air
• molecules/particles - ------
water
• Refraction
hυ2

• Reflection Incident light

• Diffraction/Interference
Scattering
If a photon is absorbed and then immediately re-emitted this is
called scattering. Mechanisms of scattering are:
• Rayleigh-Scattering
• Mie-Scattering
• Geometric Optics (describes light propagation in terms of "rays“
e.g. Reflection and Refraction)
• (Inelastic Raman-Scattering)
• Non Seletive Scattering (Clouds White Color)
Usually, scattered photons have the same wavelength (elastic
scattering) but not the same direction as the original photon.
Visible Light Spectra
Scattering Process
Rayleigh-scattering (r << λ)
• Blue colour of sky
Mie-scattering (r≈λ and r >> λ )
• white clouds
Raman-scattering (r<<λ)

Rayleigh-scattering:

• Scattering by objects smaller than

wavelengths of visible light

• Primarily atmospheric gas

molecules
• Violet and blue scattered most,
red least

• Elastic scattering since the energy of

the scattered photons is not changed
Comparison between Rayleigh & Mie Scattering
 Rayleigh-scattering:
• Individual Gas Molecules
• Shorter wavelength
• Effective for visible light : Blue Light is more scattered
• Forward and Backward Scattering
• Three Phenomenon's
• Blue Color of Sky
• Blue Tint of the Atmosphere when viewed from space
• Redness of Sunsets and Sunrise
• Sunset : Longer distance to be travelled for sun rays
• Abundance of Long wave length (Red Color) : Depletion of Short wave lengths

Mie and Non Selective-scattering

• MIE
• Aerosols and pollution molecules
• Long particle size : large wavelength : Red band scattered the most
• Red Sunsets and Sunrises
• Non Selective
• Water droplets : Bigger than aerosols
• Non selective wavelengths
• All wavelength scattered
• White Color of Clouds