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For Students · Energy Balance

Energy Balance for a methane plume

Built for students learning it for a class or exam. See the concept move instead of memorizing formulas — and check your homework intuition. Simulate a methane plume live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.

Planetary Energy BalanceLive

greenhouse effect · equilibrium temperature

Equilibrium surface temperature

13.7°C

286.9 K

Controls

Presets

Solar constant (W/m²)

Albedo (reflectivity)

Effective emissivity

A planet warms until it radiates away exactly the sunlight it absorbs. Balancing absorbed power S(1−α)/4 against εσT⁴ gives the equilibrium temperature. An emissivity below 1 represents greenhouse gases trapping outgoing infrared, raising the surface temperature.

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Data Inspector

Absorbed power238 W/m²

No-greenhouse T-18.6 °C

Greenhouse warming+32.3 °C

Governing equation

\frac{( 1 - 0.3 ) 1361}{4} = 0.62 σ T^{4} \Rightarrow T_{e q} = 286.9 K

Reading this result: Dropping emissivity below 1 mimics greenhouse gases: they add 32 °C on top of the -19 °C bare-rock temperature.

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Frequently asked questions

Is this good for students?: Yes — this version of "Energy Balance for a methane plume" is framed for students learning it for a class or exam. See the concept move instead of memorizing formulas — and check your homework intuition.
Do I need to install anything?: No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.