Educational Model: Greenhouse Effect in the Atmosphere

Part of the IUMC (Innovative Educational and Methodological Complex) “Ecology: Constructing the Biosphere,” developed in 2008 by D. A. Shabanov, A. G. Kozlenko, and M. A. Kravchenko by order of the NTFP (National Training Foundation) of the Russian Federation (more about this project is in the article “Innovation and Reality”; the reasons why this complex is not used are briefly described in the column “Textbooks: Straight into the Day After Tomorrow”). This model is posted here for educational use. The model illustrates the most common concepts of the greenhouse properties of the atmosphere. The theoretical material related to the model is presented in the section Greenhouse Effect in the manual “Ecology: Biology of Interactions.” The model demonstrates the effect of greenhouse-gas amount on electromagnetic-radiation fluxes in planetary atmospheres. By examining processes occurring in the atmospheres of two planets that are similar in other parameters but differ in greenhouse-gas concentration, one can understand the greenhouse effect as a planetary-scale factor. To demonstrate stronger warming of one planet, snow caps are shown on one pole of each planet; with increasing temperature, they decrease in size. Arrows of different colors indicate radiation of different intensities. The difference in the number of arrows directed toward and away from the planet’s surface shows which processes are more intense (absorption of energy by the planetary surface, loss of energy emitted by the planet, etc.). Arrows ending at the atmospheric level (the blue halo around the planet) show absorption of energy by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and its warming. Some tasks that can be solved while working with the model: 1. Determine how the exchange of electromagnetic-radiation fluxes differs on two similar planets that differ only in greenhouse-gas concentration in their atmospheres. 2. Compare two models: this one and “Greenhouse Effect (How a Greenhouse Works).” Establish correspondence between processes in the greenhouse and in the atmosphere. Which structural elements of the greenhouse correspond to different atmospheric layers? 3. The action of which important atmospheric factor is not shown in this model?