Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 317 2 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
The Eddington closure approximation with the standard surface boundary condition gives the grey atmosphere profileTogether with the specified pressure law, logarithmic differentiation givesConsequently the radiative temperature gradient isFor a monatomic perfect gas, and the adiabatic temperature gradient is . Uniform composition makes the Schwarzschild criterion applicable. The first marginal layer therefore satisfies , giving the convection onset in a logarithmic-pressure grey atmosphereThe assumed profile becomes convectively unstable for ; further inward, a self-consistent model must account for convective transport.