Quiz t-shirt

Temperature and thermal agitation

In addition to absorbed solar radiation, the Earth's surface is also heated by the greenhouse effect (see next tab), ensuring a comfortable temperature of 15°C on average (instead of the -18°C it would have without an atmosphere).

The simulation below shows the Earth's surface from a microscopic point of view, as a regular arrangement of atoms.

Click on Macroscopic view to see this surface as a landscape, then return to Microscopic view.