ECM3730 – Mathematics of Climate Change

Topic 2: Forcings and feedbacks

Answers to exercises

Hugo Lambert

January 22, 2015

2.1

(a) Starting from

S(1 − A)
TS4 = ,
2σ(2 − ǫ)
(topic 1, equation 4), differentiate with respect to S:
 
3 dTS 1 dTS
4TS = (1 − A) + αS ,
dS 2σ(2 − ǫ) dS
dA dTS
using dA
dS = dTS dS = −α dT
dS . Rearranging:
S

 −1
dTS (1 − A) 3 αS
= 4TS − .
dS 2σ(2 − ǫ) 2σ(2 − ǫ)

∂
(b) Calculate λ = ∂TS of the top of atmosphere flux equation again.
TS4
First, recall that TA4 = 2 . The top of atmosphere equation becomes

S SA ǫ
= + (1 − )σTS4 .
4 4 2

1
 We ask ourselves “Which variables change as Earth’s surface tempera-
ture changes?” The answer is A and TS . S does not change, because
this is a property of the Sun. Collecting terms and differentiating, we
have
Sα ǫ
− 4(1 − )σTS3 .
4 2
(Where the signs are arranged so that radiative feedback is positive
downwards by convention.)

(c) λP = −4(1 − 2ǫ )σTS3 was identified as the Planck feedback in the notes.
Hence, the surface albedo feedback is λSA = Sα 4 =
1365×0.001
4 = 0.34
Wm K . This is a positive feedback. Therefore, this planet warms
−2 −1

up more than one without an albedo feedback.