Earth's Energy Balance: Radiation Basics

This lecture covers the fundamentals of Earth's energy balance, focusing on the interaction of solar radiation with the Earth's atmosphere and surface. It explains the concepts of blackbody radiation, Planck function, Wien's displacement law, and Stefan-Boltzmann law. The lecture also delves into the transfer of solar radiation through the atmosphere, including absorption, scattering, and emission processes. Additionally, it discusses the solar constant, the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, and the impact of radiation on atmospheric constituents.