Energy Balance

(2) Electromagnetic Radiation - Infrared Radiation

• Herschel Experiment - (Explore Learning / Gizmos).  Answer the associated questions.

• Planck's Law - (PhET) - Describe what happens to the blackbody spectrum as you increase or decrease the temperature. What happens to the shape of the curve and the peak of this curve?

• EM Waves - (oPhysics/Geogebra).  Examine the simulation and explain why EM waves self-perpetuating.

• Earth's Energy Balance  - (UCARCSE) - How would Earth's temperature change if the albedo was higher or lower? As warmer temperatures melt ice, how will that change the Earth's albedo and temperature?

(3) Infrared Photography from Space

NASA has satellites have collected infrared data and summarized the data in KML files .  You can analyze average surface temperatures on Earth by examining these KML files.

VIDEO: Making Projects in Google Earth Chrome with KML files [6:24}

• • From your Chrome browser, open Google Earth . 

  • Select New Project, and select the KML file showing the IR radiation in Northern LA County: KML Files

 Sample satellite IR photos.

• Land use and surface temperature. What patterns do you see between land use and surface temperature patterns?  Explain in terms of energy balance. 

• How has land use changed in recent years?  Use Google Earth Pro (desktop application)  to document the changing landscape in Porter Ranch, CA. 

(4) Factors influencing surface temperature

• What factors do you think may influence surface temperatures? Experiment with a factor of your choice.  Here are some examples of the kinds of things you can investigate using an infrared camera or an infrared thermometer.

  • 1. Measuring temperature as a function of distance away from a building, road, creek, tree, or other feature.

    2. Measure temperature as a function of distance from the center of a grassy field out towards the edges

    3. Comparing temperature a fixed distance away from different buildings on different sides of the building

    4. Comparing ground surfaces of varying kinds

    5. Measuring temperature at different elevations (by climbing a hill, parking structure, or multi-story building),

• Sample X-Factor Graphs

(5) Mitigating the Heat Island Effect

HS-ESS2-4 Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in changes in climate.

• Model of the flow of energy in and out of the Earth's systems 

• Climate Time Machine (NASA)

HS-ESS3-4  Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.* 

• EnRoads Climate Simulator

• DrawDown -  Engineering solutions to climate change

• Heat Island Mitigation strategies - Create a collaborative slideshow highlighting ways to mitigate the urban heat island