Assignment 2: Energy Balance and the Greenhouse Effect

Your Name _________________

Please submit your assignment as word file using the following naming convention
LastName_Assignment2.docx

Objectives
By completing this assignment, you will:
●​ Understand the principles of Earth’s energy balance
●​ Apply quantitative skills by calculating Earth’s surface temperature in Excel.
●​ Interpret and analyze the Daisyworld model from Lenton (1998) to explore
self-regulation in Earth systems.
●​ (Optional) Experiment with an interactive Daisyworld simulation to deepen
your understanding of feedback between life and climate.

A. Concept Check
1. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are most efficient in absorbing energy from _____ at
______ wavelengths.
☐ a. the Sun; ultraviolet
☐ b. the ozone layer; ultraviolet
☐ c. Earth’s surface; ultraviolet
☐ d. Earth’s surface; infrared
☐ e. the Sun; infrared
2. A planet covered in ________ would likely reflect the most solar radiation.
☐ a. snow
☐ b. forest
☐ c. ocean
☐ d. asphalt
3. If the greenhouse effect is a natural process, why can it also lead to harmful climate change?
Select all that apply.
☐ a. Even a small increase in greenhouse gas concentration can trigger significant
additional warming
☐ b. Human activity has accelerated natural processes, driving climate change
much faster than would occur naturally.
☐ c. Greenhouse gases remain in the atmosphere for long periods, making their
effects difficult to reverse.
☐ d. Rapid climate change can cause severe impacts, including extreme weather,
health risks, biodiversity loss, and shifts in ocean circulation.
☐ e. Interactions between greenhouse gases, ecosystems, and human systems
amplify climate impacts beyond the natural greenhouse effect.
B. Excel Exercise
Submit the calculation of Earth’s surface temperature we did in recitation. Please
submit as an Excel file and use the following naming convention
(LastName_Assignment2.xlsx). You will be graded on the calculation process, not just
the correct final answer.
C. Reading
Please read the paper by Lenton (1998), “Gaia and natural selection” (Nature 394: 439–447). It
is accessible under Reading Materials, Week 2, on Brightspace. Reading with special attention
to Box 1 and Box Figure 1 (shown below). Answer the questions below in sequence, moving
from description to analysis. Be concise but clear—your responses should demonstrate that you
understand both the Daisyworld model and how it connects to broader arguments about Gaia
theory.

1. Describe Figure 1 in Box 1 (the original Daisyworld model).

● ​ What is shown in subplot (a)? Here, a relationship is shown between the surface
temperature of the planet and its solar luminosity. There are two plotted curves on the graph.
One represents a bare planet with no daisies, and the other depicts Daisyworld with black
and white daisies.
● ​ What is shown in subplot (b)? This subplot demonstrates the fractional surface coverage
of both black and white daisies as well as the bare ground as the solar luminosity changes.
Ultimately, it represents which daisy is dominant under different levels of sunlight.

● ​ How do the two curves (with daisies vs. without daisies) differ in subplot (a)? The curve
with daisies remains stable and has a large range across the solar luminosities due to the
daisies changing the surface albedo. On the contrary, the curve without daisies has a rising
temperature as solar luminosity increases, representing no regulation.

2. Summarize how Daisyworld self-regulates planetary temperature.

● ​ How do black daisies influence temperature at low solar input? At low solar input, black
daisies thrive because they warm their environment, raising the temperature of the planet.

● ​ How do white daisies influence temperature as solar input increases? As solar input
increases, white daisies dominate and cool the environment, lowering the planetary
temperature.

● ​ What happens when solar forcing gets too high? When there’s excessive input, both
daisy populations die and the planet overheats.

3. Explain why the Daisyworld model is important for Gaia theory. How does it
demonstrate that planetary self-regulation can arise without teleology (i.e., without foresight
or planning)?
The Daisyworld model demonstrates that planetary self-regulation can occur through
natural selection and environmental competition, without the need for external sources.
 Each daisy flourishes in the conditions it creates, which stabilizes the environment through
solar inputs. This supports the Gaia theory by illustrating that regulation is a product of
ecological interaction, and not the work of technology.

4. Compare Daisyworld to real-world ecosystems. Lenton (1998) discusses examples

such as rainforests, boreal forests, and peat bogs. Pick one example and explain how it
might act like 'black' or 'white' daisies in terms of environmental feedback.

Similar to black daisies, rainforests absorb heat and use the process of evapotranspiration
to recycle water, and create a warm, humid climate. This positive feedback sustains the
rainforest by enabling its species' survival. However, a lack of forest cover can disrupt and
destabilize this system, just as Daisyworld fails without daisies.

D. (Optional Enrichment) Experiment with Interactive Daisyworld Model

Exploration

🙂
This part will not affect your grade if you choose not to complete it, but we encourage you to try
it and hope you’ll enjoy the process.

🔗
Go to the interactive Daisyworld model at:​
NetLogo Daisyworld Simulation
Read the tab Model Info. Run the simulation and complete the following questions. Use
screenshots or downloaded images of the plots to illustrate your answers where requested.
Keep your answers concise but evidence-based.

1. Baseline Run (No parameter changes)

Run the model with the default parameters.

● ​ What do you observe in the 2-D daisy field? (1–2 sentences) At first, I see a mix of black

and white daisies as well as some bare ground. As time progresses, I see the coverage of
daisies expand, and clusters of both types of daisies form.

● ​ What do you observe in the Population and Temperature plots? (1–2 sentences each,

include screenshots).
● ​ How do the results compare to what you see in the paper (Lenton 1998)?

2. Experimenting with Parameters

Now explore how initial conditions influence Daisyworld. Only change one parameter at a time,
and click “Setup” before each run.
For each experiment, describe what happens in the daisy field and the Population and
Temperature plots. Write 2–3 sentences and include screenshots where useful.
● ​ Starting % of white daisies: 0% vs. 50%
● ​ Starting % of black daisies: 0% vs. 50%
● ​ White daisy albedo: 0.6 vs. 0.9
● ​ Black daisy albedo: 0.1 vs. 0.5

Guiding question: Do you see runaway effects (all daisies die, or one type dominates)? Why
might this happen?

3. Changing Solar Luminosity Scenarios

Switch the scenario from “Maintain current luminosity” to each of the following (using the default
initial parameters).
● ​ Our solar luminosity

● ​ Low solar luminosity

● ​ High solar luminosity

For each scenario, describe what happens to daisy population and temperature (2–3
sentences).

4. Synthesizing Across Plots

Look closely at the Luminosity, Temperature, and Population plots together.

● ​ What relationship do you notice between these three variables?

● ​ Does the relationship align with the Daisyworld equations you studied in Lenton (1998)

(Box 1)? Why or why not?