Abstract
The effective temperature of a planet is determined by the absorbed solar (or stellar) radiation which depends only on the brightness of the star, the distance between star and planet, as well as the planetary albedo. The surface temperature, on the other hand, is determined by atmospheric composition and dynamics, in particular the abundance of greenhouse gases and convection. Radiative-convective-equilibrium models provide easy-to-understand insights into the relevant processes. These will be illustrated using Earth and Venus as examples, showing that planets with very similar effective temperatures can have completely different conditions at the surface.
Credit: Bernhard Mayer
Speaker
Prof. Dr. Bernhard Mayer
Chair of Experimental Meteorology
Meteorological Institute Munich
Faculty of Physics
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Research Interests:
three-dimensional radiative transfer in cloudy atmospheres, with a focus on climate and remote sensing.