Climate and Earth''s Energy Budget
The Earth''s climate is a solar powered system. Globally, over the course of the year, the Earth system—land surfaces, oceans, and atmosphere—absorbs an average of about 240 watts of
About 29 percent of the solar energy that arrives at the top of the atmosphere is reflected back to space by clouds, atmospheric particles, or bright ground surfaces like sea ice and snow. This energy plays no role in Earth's climate system.
The absorbed sunlight drives photosynthesis, fuels evaporation, melts snow and ice, and warms the Earth system. Solar power drives Earth's climate. Energy from the Sun heats the surface, warms the atmosphere, and powers the ocean currents. Astronaut photograph ISS015-E-10469, courtesy NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.
In general, the atmosphere is warmer near the surface and colder at higher altitudes, and under these conditions, warm air rises, shuttling heat away from the surface. Finally, a net of about 17 percent of incoming solar energy leaves the surface as thermal infrared energy (heat) radiated by atoms and molecules on the surface.
Energy from the Sun heats the surface, warms the atmosphere, and powers the ocean currents. Astronaut photograph ISS015-E-10469, courtesy NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. The Sun doesn't heat the Earth evenly. Because the Earth is a sphere, the Sun heats equatorial regions more than polar regions.
The Earth''s climate is a solar powered system. Globally, over the course of the year, the Earth system—land surfaces, oceans, and atmosphere—absorbs an average of about 240 watts of
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The absorbed solar energy heats our planet. As the rocks, the air, and the seas warm, they radiate “heat” energy (thermal infrared radiation). From the surface, this energy travels into the
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Solar panels collect sunlight and convert it into electricity using photovoltaic cells. These cells generate direct current (DC) electricity when exposed to sunlight, which is then converted into
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