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Greenhouse Effect · Paper 2 — Free Physics HL Practice Questions

1ChallengeSAQ-LEarth's energy balance8 marksPaper 2~12 min
A simplified model of Earth's energy balance treats the atmosphere as a single layer that is transparent to solar radiation but absorbs all terrestrial infrared radiation. The surface emits as a blackbody at temperature TsT_s, and the atmosphere emits equally upward and downward as a blackbody at temperature TaT_a. The incoming absorbed solar radiation at the surface is 240 W m−2240 \text{ W m}^{-2}.
(a)
Write an equation for the energy balance of the Earth's surface in terms of TsT_s, TaT_a, and σ\sigma. [2 marks]
(b)
Determine TsT_s and TaT_a. [3 marks]
(c)
Explain why this model predicts a higher surface temperature than a model with no atmosphere. [1 mark]
(d)
Evaluate one limitation of this single-layer atmospheric model. [2 marks]
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