- #1
BearY
- 53
- 8
Homework Statement
Consider a 1000 to 700 hPa layer in the atmosphere that is at rest and is in hydrostatic balance. The layer is subjected to radiative cooling at a rate of 5.0e3 J/s/m2 for one hour.
a) Calculate the change in mean temperature for the layer assuming all energy goes into heating the layer. Hint: We derived the 1st law of thermodynamics on a per mass basis.
b) Find the resulting decrease in the thickness of the layer.
Homework Equations
##\Delta Q = \Delta U + W ##
##\Delta p = -mg##
##\Delta T = \frac{\Delta U}{mC_p}##
The Attempt at a Solution
I am a bit confused and have a few questions.
What does "all energy goes into heating the layer" mean? From what I see, the energy goes in the layer is work done to the layer. Which is ##p\Delta h##
Also, is radiative cooling ##\Delta Q##, or ##\Delta U## only?
We can calculate the mass of a unit column since the layer is in hydrostatic balance.
Then the next step, from what I see, would depend on my understanding of the question.
Did I completely misunderstand the question?