Where does Earth’s atmosphere get its energy?

Kren, Andrew C.; Pilewskie, P.; Coddington, O.

doi:10.1051/swsc/2017007

Cited by 41 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 193 publications

(225 reference statements)

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“…There is thought to be a very slight imbalance in the net irradiance at the TOA in natural climate system, even at steady state, due to non-radiative energy sources, mainly natural radioactive decay and the release of gravitational potential energy of the solid Earth; these and other, very minor terms in Earth's radiation budget are examined in Ref. 31. A contribution to energy imbalance of the planet has been imposed by changes in atmospheric composition over the past 250 years (examined in Resource Letter GECC-2).…”

Section: B Global Energy Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

Resource Letter GECC-1: The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change: Earth's Natural Greenhouse Effect

Schwartz

2018

American Journal of Physics

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Earth's greenhouse effect is manifested as the difference between thermal infrared radiation emitted at the Earth surface and that emitted to space at the top of the atmosphere. This difference, which is due mainly to absorption and downward emission of radiant energy by atmospheric trace gases, results in global mean surface temperature about 32 K greater than what it would otherwise be for the same planetary absorption of solar radiation, and is thus of enormous importance to Earth's climate. This Resource Letter introduces the physics of the greenhouse effect and more broadly of Earth's climate system and provides resources for further study. A companion Resource Letter (GECC-2), planned for the following issue, examines the increase in the greenhouse effect due to human activities over the past 200 years and its consequences for Earth's climate system. V

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Section: B Global Energy Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

Resource Letter GECC-1: The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change: Earth's Natural Greenhouse Effect

Schwartz

2018

American Journal of Physics

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“…The Sun provides nearly all the energy driving the Earth's climate system (Kren, Pilewskie, and Coddington, 2017), so, in addition to its intrinsic astrophysical interest, monitoring and understanding changes in the total solar irradiance (TSI), the spatially and spectrally integrated radiative output of the Sun incident at the top of the Earth's atmosphere (and normalized to a distance of one astronomical unit from the Sun), are critical for studying climate change. The terrestrial atmospheric and climate systems respond to variations in solar radiative output on timescales from tens of minutes to decades, and there is also evidence for solar influences on climate over longer timescales (see, e.g., Gray et al, 2010;Lean, 2010;Ineson et al, 2011;Haigh, 2011;Lean, 2017;Jungclaus et al, 2017;Matthes et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Irradiance Variations of the Sun and Sun-Like Stars – Overview of Topical Collection

Kopp

Шапиро

2021

Sol Phys

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This topical collection summarizes recent advances in observing and modeling irradiance variations of the Sun and Sun-like stars, emphasizing the links between surface magnetic fields and the resulting solar and stellar variability. In particular, the articles composing this collection summarize recent progress in i) solar-irradiance measurements; ii) modeling of solar- and stellar-irradiance variability; and iii) understanding of the effects of such variability on Earth’s climate and exoplanet environments. This topical-collection overview article gives background and more details on these aspects of variability.

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“…The Sun's power per unit area, or irradiance, dominates other external sources of energy incident for Earth's atmosphere by a factor of almost 4,000 (Kren et al, 2017) and drives a myriad of land, ocean, and atmosphere interactions that define our terrestrial habitat including surface temperature. These interactions are functions of wavelength because the Sun's energy output is spectrally dependent and because the molecules, clouds, and aerosols of Earth's atmosphere and the distinct surface types, such as forest, desert, ocean, etc., scatter and absorb energy in wavelength-dependent ways.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar Irradiance Variability: Comparisons of Models and Measurements

Coddington

Lean

Pilewskie

et al. 2019

Earth and Space Science

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The Earth system responds to solar variability on a wide range of timescales. Knowledge of total solar irradiance (TSI) and solar spectral irradiance (SSI) spanning minutes to centuries is needed by scientists studying a broad array of research applications. For these purposes, the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Climate Data Record Program established the Solar Irradiance Climate Data Record. Version 2 of the Naval Research Laboratory's solar variability models that are derived from and demonstrate consistency with irradiance observations specifies TSI and SSI for the Solar Irradiance Climate Data Record. We establish the veracity of the Naval Research Laboratory models on the timescales and over the wavelength range for which the Sun is known to vary and, thereby, specify the utility of these models. Through comparisons with irradiance observations and independent models, we validate NRLTSI2 estimates of TSI on solar rotational (~27-day), solar cycle (~11-year), and multidecadal (spacecraft era) variability timescales. Similarly, we validate NRLSSI2 estimates of SSI rotational variability in the ultraviolet through the mid-visible spectrum. Validation of NRLSSI2 estimates at longer wavelengths, particularly in the near-infrared, and for the full spectrum at solar cycle timescales and longer is not possible with the current observational record due to instrumental noise and instrument instability. We identify where key new data sets, such as observations from the Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor-1, are expected to provide a fuller understanding of total and spectral solar irradiance variability on multiple timescales. Plain Language Summary An understanding of total and spectral solar irradiance is essential forEarth atmospheric and climate studies because the Sun's energy incident at the top of Earth's atmosphere is the dominant energy source driving a myriad of interactions that establish Earth's climate. We describe how the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's Solar Irradiance Climate Data Record is meeting the goal to model variability in the Sun's irradiance, identify limitations in our current understanding of solar irradiance variability on multiple timescales and over a broad spectral range, and highlight where new observations are expected to provide a fuller understanding.

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Where does Earth’s atmosphere get its energy?

Cited by 41 publications

References 193 publications

Resource Letter GECC-1: The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change: Earth's Natural Greenhouse Effect

Resource Letter GECC-1: The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change: Earth's Natural Greenhouse Effect

Irradiance Variations of the Sun and Sun-Like Stars – Overview of Topical Collection

Solar Irradiance Variability: Comparisons of Models and Measurements

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