Energy Balance Climate Model

Students explore a Global Energy Balance Climate Model Using Stella II. This Stella model focuses on global energy balance and creating a useful climate model. Students can explore how the model planetary surface and atmospheric temperatures respond to variations in solar input, atmospheric and surface albedo, atmospheric water vapor and carbon dioxide, volcanic eruptions, and mixed layer ocean depth. Climate feedbacks such as water vapor or ice-albedo can be turned on or off. The activity provides guided exploration on energy balance and radiative equilibrium, the concept of radiative forcing, planetary temperature response to variations, transient response with different ocean mixed layer depths; climate feedbacks from temperature induced variations, and interpreting and creating loop diagrams to assess feedback behavior. This activity takes roughly 3 hours to complete and is appropriate for introductory geoscience courses with climate change content and for students with little mathematical background. This site also includes teaching notes and tips, teaching materials, assessment ideas and additional resources. This activity is part of the Starting Point Collection: http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/ Educational levels: High school, Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper division