<p>Radiative efficiency is the radiative forcing per unit change in halocarbon mixing ratio.  Radiative Efficiency assumes that the Radiative Forcing is linear in mixing ratio—this is normally appropriate in the case of small perturbations in mixing ratio about current concentrations and is also appropriate for CFCs.  To calculate it requires a radiative transfer model, which includes both analytical and theoretical contributions.</p>

<p>The diagram shown in Hodnebrog et al.: "Global warming potentials and radiative efficiencies of halocarbons and related compounds: A comprehensive review" in Reviews of Geophysics
( <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/rog.20013" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/rog.20013</a> ) explains how radiative efficiency is calculated and is pasted below: </p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ig2AR.png" alt="enter image description here"></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-30T02:22:25.310Z
2014-06-30T02:22:25.310Z
f.thorpe
<p>E.g. the gases listed at <a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/tssts-2-5.html">http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/tssts-2-5.html</a> . Do they calculate them analytically or theoretically?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-12T08:51:43.457Z
I think this page: http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch2s2-10-2.html gives more details on where those values come from (with references).
plannapus
<atmosphere>
How is the radiative efficiency of a given gas (like a given CFC) analytically calculated?
InquilineKea
# How is the radiative efficiency of a given gas (like a given CFC) analytically calculated?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-05-10)

E.g. the gases listed at <http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/tssts-2-5.html> . Do they calculate them analytically or theoretically?

**Tags:** atmosphere

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I think this page: http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch2s2-10-2.html gives more details on where those values come from (with references).  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-06-30. Score: 3

Radiative efficiency is the radiative forcing per unit change in halocarbon mixing ratio. Radiative Efficiency assumes that the Radiative Forcing is linear in mixing ratio—this is normally appropriate in the case of small perturbations in mixing ratio about current concentrations and is also appropriate for CFCs. To calculate it requires a radiative transfer model, which includes both analytical and theoretical contributions.

The diagram shown in Hodnebrog et al.: "Global warming potentials and radiative efficiencies of halocarbons and related compounds: A comprehensive review" in Reviews of Geophysics
( <http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/rog.20013> ) explains how radiative efficiency is calculated and is pasted below:

![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/ig2AR.png)


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