At midnight local time, calculate the approximate radiation budget (net gain or
ID: 285561 • Letter: A
Question
At midnight local time, calculate the approximate radiation budget (net gain or loss of radiation) at your chosen location. Show your work and be sure to include the proper units! (1 point) Discuss whether the net loss or gain of radiation at midnight would act to increase or decrease surface temperatures.
Lab Exercise W2 /amd/webdata/tmp/surfrad 5a6a0615cb914.pdf Penn State, Pennsylvania, United States (PSU) 24 January 2018 Hour of Day (LST) 357pm 9pm 11pm lam 3am am 7am 9am 11am 1pm 3pm 5pm 7pm Downwelling Infrared Upwelling Infrared 250 200 150 100 50 0 01 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Hour of Day (UTC) -50 D 2018jan 615... pngExplanation / Answer
As per the graph attached, the approximate radiation budget at the chosen location at midnight (12 AM) is zero W/m2. Net radiation is nothing but,
Net Radiation = Incoming Radiation - Outgoing radiation
Here incoming radiation = downwelling solar + downwelling infrared
outgoing radiation = upwelling infrared
Therefore, Net Radiation = downwelling solar + downwelling infrared - upwelling infrared
Since it is midnight, the downwelling solar (solar insolation) is zero. The downwelling infrared as shown is around 320 W/m2. Similarly, at this one point, the upwelling infrared becomes equal to the downwelling infrared as shown in the graph at around 320 W/m2. Therefore, the net radiation will be = 0+320-320 = 0.
The net gain of radiation always increases the temperature and the net loss of radiation decreases the temperature. But in this case, the temperature remains same. However, at other times in the night, since the downwelling infrared is less than the upwelling infrared, the temperature keeps on decreasing till the downwelling solar becomes stronger during the day.
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