If oxygen, nitrogen and ozone disappear...

[nickbod]

Hi everyone!

I have some trouble figuring out the following question: 

If oxygen, nitrogen and ozone did not absorb UV radiation, what would you expect the temperature profile in the atmosphere to look like between the surface and top of the atmosphere? Specify the temperatures at Tropopause, Stratopause and Mesopause.

My guess would be that the surface would become hotter, however, I am not sure about the rest...

I would appreciate any help!

[Sensei]

Quote

If oxygen, nitrogen and ozone disappear...

...conditions would be almost like on the Moon i.e. in the sunlight +127 C, in the shadow -173 C..

(Oxygen and Nitrogen are 99% of Earth's atmosphere)

 

There is huge difference between title of your thread (Oxygen and Nitrogen gone), and contents of your post later (changed physics i.e. UV photons not absorbed by air and arriving to the surface).

 

 

[John Cuthber]

13 minutes ago, Sensei said:

.conditions would be almost like on the Moon i.e. in the sunlight +127 C, in the shadow -173 C..

I doubt it.

The big difference between the Earth and the Moon is water.

Your scenario would require that the phenomenal amount of heat needed to melt an ocean of ice was supplied every day and removed every night.

[Sensei]

24 minutes ago, John Cuthber said:

I doubt it.

The big difference between the Earth and the Moon is water.

Your scenario would require that the phenomenal amount of heat needed to melt an ocean of ice was supplied every day and removed every night.

Without atmosphere, water would not be liquid anymore, because of lack of enough pressure required to keep it in liquid state (e.g. drop of pressure from 101 kPa to 1 kPa) . It would freeze (at least on the surface.. at larger depth and closer to volcano it could still remain liquid because of internal heat of the Earth) or turn to vapor. Ice is white, so it would reflect the majority of the sunlight, without significantly absorbing it..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowball_Earth

 

 

 

Edited November 3, 2018 by Sensei

[John Cuthber]

So, you are saying the water would be ice, but the temperature would rise to 127C
Do you see why I still think you are wrong?


The change in pressure would mean that, rather than melting, the water would sublime.
Once that raised the local pressure above the triple point (about 5mmHg IIRC) , you could get melting to form liquid water.

 

The heat flux involved would still be impractical.

Eventually you might reach a situation where all the water froze out at the poles and the equatorial temperature fluctuated wildly.