Development of an Elementary Climate Model: Two-Layer Cellular Case

128 LLE Review, Volume 94 Introduction The recent gradual increase in Earth’s average temperature1 is generating intense interest in both public and scientific circles. It is important that physicists understand the basic energetics in climatology. While excellent climatology texts such as Hartmann’s2 exist, materials generally available to the undergraduate physics major and instructor lack a systematic physical treatment and an unavoidable terminology barrier exists. The comprehensive and readable work of Peixoto and Oort,3 written by and for physicists, is at a level too demanding for introductory study. We concentrate solely on some aspects of the basic energy transfer to establish a level suitable for undergraduate teaching; more sophisticated treatments do exist.4–7