Venus' temperature, radiation values and altitude

[Natalie Johnson]

Hi,

I have a list of measured temperature values of Venus at altitudes from several missions to the planet. This temperature is a combination of outgoing thermal emission from the planet, incoming thermal emission from the sun and any chemical reactions going on in the atmosphere.

Can I use the temperature value at each altitude and plug it into Stefen-Boltzman law to get the power per metres squared at each spatial point with temperature because each point acts as a source of electromagnetic radiation?

Below I am assuming irradiance, exitance or emittance (however you want to call it) can be equated to the stefan-boltzman law so I can obtain irradiance, exitance or emittance from temperature. I assume irradiance, exitance and emittance can be somewhat similar because regardless of whether the radiation is incoming or outgoing on an area, its the same power value for a specific area.

Irradiance, Emittance or Exitance = Φ / Area = σ T⁴ [Wm^-2]

Φ = radiant flux or radiant power
σ = Stef-Boltz constant
Also would it be an okay approximation to assume emissivity of 1 or do I need the emissivity at each altitude for this to work?

Please can someone offer advice (this is not homework)

 

[Future Bruno]

ThanksYes, you can use the temperature values at each altitude and plug them into the Stefan-Boltzmann law to get the power per square meter. It would be an okay approximation to assume an emissivity of 1, as long as you take into account the emission from the sun in the equation. However, if you want more accurate results, you will need to take the emissivity of the surface material into consideration.