When we look down on the Earth from an aircraft, we are observing the surface of the planet using visible light in a qualitative way – which means that we are simply sensing (seeing) rather than measuring the amount of light reflected. By using instrumentation, we can extract much more meaning from our observations by making measurements and extending our observations into non-visible light.
This is all explained very nicely in a new three-minute video that has been created by the Royal Meteorological Society in conjunction with Imperial College London and the Institute of Physics.
The video covers the use of infra-red thermometers and infra-red cameras to reveal comparative temperature changes for white and black surfaces, which is a key piece of knowledge for GCSE Physics. All of this is explained with reference to the Earth’s albedo, which measures how much of the energy received by the Earth from the Sun is reflected back into space. This context is also included in the GCSE Physics course (see p85 in the CGP GCSE Edexcel Physics Revision & Practice book).
After you have watched the short video, select Show More to see various links that provide further information and ideas for simple experiments.
Mr Tarrant's physbang 'blog 