Of the radiant energy reaching the top of the atmosphere, 46 percent is absorbed by Earth’s surface on average, but this value varies significantly from place to place, depending on cloudiness, surface type, and elevation. If there is persistent cloud cover, as exists in some equatorial regions, much of the incident solar radiation is scattered back to space, and very little is absorbed by Earth’s surface. Water surfaces have low reflectivity (4–10 percent), except in low solar elevations, and are the most efficient absorbers. Snow surfaces, on the other hand, have high reflectivity (40–80 percent) and so are the poorest absorbers. High-altitude desert regions consistently absorb higher-than-average amounts of solar radiation because of the reduced effect of the atmosphere above them.

An additional 23 percent or so of the incident solar radiation is absorbed on average in the atmosphere, especially by water vapour and clouds at lower altitudes and by ozone (O₃) in the stratosphere. Absorption of solar radiation by ozone shields the terrestrial surface from harmful ultraviolet light and warms the stratosphere, producing maximum temperatures of −15 to 10 °C (5 to 50 °F) at an altitude of 50 km (30 miles). Most atmospheric absorption takes place at ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths, so more than 90 percent of the visible portion of the solar spectrum, with wavelengths between 0.4 and 0.7 μm (0.00002 to 0.00003 inch), reaches the surface on a cloud-free day. Visible light, however, is scattered in varying degrees by cloud droplets, air molecules, and dust particles. Blue skies and red sunsets are in effect attributable to the preferential scattering of short (blue) wavelengths by air molecules and small dust particles. Cloud droplets scatter visible wavelengths impartially (hence, clouds usually appear white) but very efficiently, so the reflectivity of clouds to solar radiation is typically about 50 percent and may be as high as 80 percent for thick clouds.

The constant gain of solar energy by Earth’s surface is systematically returned to space in the form of thermally emitted radiation in the infrared portion of the spectrum. The emitted wavelengths are mainly between 5 and 100 μm (0.0002 and 0.004 inch), and they interact differently with the atmosphere compared with the shorter wavelengths of solar radiation. Very little of the radiation emitted by Earth’s surface passes directly through the atmosphere. Most of it is absorbed by clouds, carbon dioxide, and water vapour and is then reemitted in all directions. The atmosphere thus acts as a radiative blanket over Earth’s surface, hindering the loss of heat to space. The blanketing effect is greatest in the presence of low clouds and weakest for clear cold skies that contain little water vapour. Without this effect, the mean surface temperature of 15 °C (59 °F) would be some 30 °C colder. Conversely, as atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons, and other absorbing gases continue to increase, in large part owing to human activities, surface temperatures should rise because of the capacity of such gases to trap infrared radiation. The exact amount of this temperature increase, however, remains uncertain because of unpredictable changes in other atmospheric components, especially cloud cover. An extreme example of such an effect (commonly dubbed the greenhouse effect) is that produced by the dense atmosphere of the planet Venus, which results in surface temperatures of about 475 °C (887 °F). This condition exists in spite of the fact that the high reflectivity of the Venusian clouds causes the planet to absorb less solar radiation than Earth.

Average radiation budgets

The difference between the solar radiation absorbed and the thermal radiation emitted to space determines Earth’s radiation budget. Since there is no appreciable long-term trend in planetary temperature, it may be concluded that this budget is essentially zero on a global long-term average. Latitudinally, it has been found that much more solar radiation is absorbed at low latitudes than at high latitudes. On the other hand, thermal emission does not show nearly as strong a dependence on latitude, so the planetary radiation budget decreases systematically from the Equator to the poles. It changes from being positive to negative at latitudes of about 40° N and 40° S. The atmosphere and oceans, through their general circulation, act as vast heat engines, compensating for this imbalance by providing nonradiative mechanisms for the transfer of heat from the Equator to the poles.

While Earth’s surface absorbs a significant amount of thermal radiation because of the blanketing effect of the atmosphere, it loses even more through its own emission and thus experiences a net loss of long-wave radiation. This loss is only about 14 percent of the amount emitted by the surface and is less than the average gain of total absorbed solar energy. Consequently, the surface has on average a positive radiation budget.

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By contrast, the atmosphere emits thermal radiation both to space and to the surface, yet it receives long-wave radiation back from only the latter. This net loss of thermal energy cannot be compensated for by the modest gain of absorbed solar energy within the atmosphere. The atmosphere thus has a negative radiation budget, equal in magnitude to the positive radiation budget of the surface but opposite in sign. Nonradiative heat transfer again compensates for the imbalance, this time largely by vertical atmospheric motions involving the evaporation and condensation of water.

Surface-energy budgets

The rate of temperature change in any region is directly proportional to the region’s energy budget and inversely proportional to its heat capacity. While the radiation budget may dominate the average energy budget of many surfaces, nonradiative energy transfer and storage also are generally important when local changes are considered.

Foremost among the cooling effects is the energy required to evaporate surface moisture, which produces atmospheric water vapour. Most of the latent heat contained in water vapour is subsequently released to the atmosphere during the formation of precipitating clouds, although a minor amount may be returned directly to the surface during dew or frost deposition. Evaporation increases with rising surface temperature, decreasing relative humidity, and increasing surface wind speed. Transpiration by plants also increases evaporation rates, which explains why the temperature in an irrigated field is usually lower than that over a nearby dry road surface.

Another important nonradiative mechanism is the exchange of heat that occurs when the temperature of the air is different from that of the surface. Depending on whether the surface is warmer or cooler than the air next to it, heat is transferred to or from the atmosphere by turbulent air motion (more loosely, by convection). This effect also increases with increasing temperature difference and with increasing surface wind speed. Direct heat transfer to the air may be an important cooling mechanism that limits the maximum temperature of hot dry surfaces. Alternatively, it may be an important warming mechanism that limits the minimum temperature of cold surfaces. Such warming is sensitive to wind speed, so calm conditions promote lower minimum temperatures.

In a similar category, whenever a temperature difference occurs between the surface and the medium beneath the surface, there is a transfer of heat to or from the medium. In the case of land surfaces, heat is transferred by conduction, a process where energy is conveyed through a material from one atom or molecule to another. In the case of water surfaces, the transfer is by convection and may consequently be affected by the horizontal transport of heat within large bodies of water.

Average values of the different terms in the energy budgets of the atmosphere and surface are given in the diagram. The individual terms may be adjusted to suit local conditions and may be used as an aid to understanding the various temperature characteristics discussed in the next section.