Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-b-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2013/paper-1/section-a/a4/solution

Let absorbed solar flux per unit surface area be . The single-layer greenhouse model emits infrared upward and downward. Top-of-atmosphere balance gives , hence . Surface balance is , so
The layer simultaneously satisfies . This ideal radiative model excludes convection, spectral windows and atmospheric temperature structure; it is not a quantitative prediction for the real atmosphere.

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