ENVS 2270 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Facula, Radiative Forcing, Irradiation
12 Oct 2016
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Document Summary
The energy budget when the ow in of energy = the ow of energy out, the earth is at equilibrium, the earth is at a. Greatest intensity from sunlight in the uv (ultra violet), visible and ir (infrared) part of spectrum. If the earth was a disc, the average intensity of solar energy reaching the top of the atmosphere directly facing the sun is approximately 1,360 wm^-2. Average total solar irradiance actually is approximately 340wm^-2 - which is about 1/4 of the number given if we were a at disc. This is because we are spherical, about 1/2 of the earth is not lit. Sunlight coming in at an angle (another 1/2 decrease) About 30% is re ected, never makes it to the earth"s atmosphere (1/3), clouds, atmospheric particles. About 50% is absorbed at the surface of the earth and warms up the planet (1/2), essentially absorbed by gases and clouds.
