Environmental Physics Cheat Sheet
The core ideas of Environmental Physics distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.
Quick Reference
Earth's Energy Balance
The equilibrium between incoming shortwave solar radiation and outgoing longwave terrestrial radiation that determines the planet's average surface temperature. Any factor that shifts this balance causes climate warming or cooling.
Greenhouse Effect
The process by which certain atmospheric gases (CO₂, CH₄, H₂O, N₂O) absorb outgoing infrared radiation from Earth's surface and re-emit it in all directions, warming the lower atmosphere and surface above what it would be without those gases.
Blackbody Radiation and Stefan-Boltzmann Law
A blackbody emits radiation across all wavelengths with a total power per unit area proportional to the fourth power of its absolute temperature ($P = \sigma T^4$). This law is fundamental for calculating radiative energy fluxes from the Sun and Earth.
Atmospheric Boundary Layer
The lowest portion of the troposphere, typically 1–2 km deep, that is directly influenced by the Earth's surface through turbulent exchange of heat, moisture, and momentum. Its structure changes dramatically between day and night.
Radiative Forcing
The net change in the energy balance of the Earth system due to an imposed perturbation, measured in watts per square meter (W/m²). Positive radiative forcing leads to warming; negative forcing leads to cooling.
Fick's Law of Diffusion
The flux of a substance is proportional to the negative gradient of its concentration ($J = -D \nabla C$). In environmental physics, this governs the molecular diffusion of pollutants, gases, and heat in fluids and soils.
Albedo
The fraction of incoming solar radiation that is reflected by a surface, ranging from 0 (perfect absorber) to 1 (perfect reflector). Albedo is a key factor in Earth's energy balance and climate feedback mechanisms.
Coriolis Effect
An apparent deflection of moving objects (including air and water masses) caused by Earth's rotation. It deflects motion to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere, shaping large-scale wind and ocean circulation patterns.
Latent Heat and Phase Transitions
The energy absorbed or released during a phase change (e.g., evaporation, condensation, melting) without a change in temperature. Latent heat of water is a major energy transport mechanism in the atmosphere.
Wind Energy Physics
The kinetic energy available in moving air, which scales with the cube of wind speed ($P \propto v^3$). The Betz limit states that no wind turbine can extract more than 59.3% of the kinetic energy from the wind passing through it.
Key Terms at a Glance
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