File:Greenhouse Effect (2017 NASA data).svg

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Captions

Captions

Energy flows between space, the atmosphere, and Earth's surface, with greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorbing and emitting radiant heat, affecting Earth's energy balance.

Summary

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Description
English: This figure is a simplified, schematic representation of the flows of energy between space, the atmosphere, and the Earth's surface, and shows how these flows combine to trap heat near the surface and create the greenhouse effect. Energy exchanges are expressed in watts per square meter (W/m2).

Data is from 2007 CERES satellite instruments, and specifically this diagram

Year 2021 update (not in diagram): Net absorbed energy (shown as 0.6) rose to above 1.0 W/m2 based on independent CERES and ocean heat content measurements.(see fig.1 in Loeb et al.(2021), Geoph. Res. Let 48 (13), doi:10.1029/2021GL093047)

The sun is responsible for virtually all energy that reaches the Earth's surface. Direct overhead sunlight at the top of the atmosphere provides 1366 W/m2; however, geometric effects and reflective surfaces limit the light which is absorbed at the typical location to an annual average of ~235 W/m2. If this were the total heat received at the surface, then, neglecting changes in albedo, the Earth's surface would be expected to have an average temperature of -18 °C (Lashof 1989). Of the surface heat captured by the atmosphere, more than 75% can be attributed to the action of greenhouse gases that absorb thermal radiation emitted by the Earth's surface. The atmosphere in turn transfers the energy it receives both into space (38%) and back to the Earth's surface (62%), where the amount transferred in each direction depends on the thermal and density structure of the atmosphere. This process by which energy is recycled in the atmosphere to warm the Earth's surface is known as the greenhouse effect and is an essential piece of Earth's climate. Under stable conditions, the total amount of energy entering the system from solar radiation will exactly balance the amount being radiated into space, thus allowing the Earth to maintain a constant average temperature over time.

However, recent measurements indicate that the Earth is presently absorbing 0.85 ± 0.15 W/m2 more than it emits into space (Hansen et al. 2005). An overwhelming majority of climate scientists believe that this asymmetry in the flow of energy has been significantly increased by human emissions of greenhouse gases [1]. This figure was created by Robert A. Rohde from published data and is part of the Global Warming Art project.
Source
Author Robert A. Rohde (Dragons flight at English Wikipedia)
Other versions

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Licensing

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GNU head Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 only as published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled GNU Free Documentation License. 1.2 only

References used in description

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  • Kiehl, J. T. and Trenberth, K. E. (1997). "Earth's Annual Global Mean Energy Budget". Bulletin of the American Meteorological Association 78": 197-208.
  • Daniel A. Lashof (1989). "The dynamic greenhouse: Feedback processes that may influence future concentrations of atmospheric trace gases and climatic change". Climatic Change 14 (3): 213-242.
  • James Hansen, Larissa Nazarenko, Reto Ruedy, Makiko Sato, Josh Willis, Anthony Del Genio, Dorothy Koch, Andrew Lacis, Ken Lo, Surabi Menon, Tica Novakov, Judith Perlwitz, Gary Russell, Gavin A. Schmidt, Nicholas Tausnev (2005). "Earth's Energy Imbalance: Confirmation and Implications". Science 308 (5727): 1431-1435.

File history

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Date/TimeThumbnailDimensionsUserComment
current15:12, 23 June 2023Thumbnail for version as of 15:12, 23 June 2023960 × 960 (7 KB)Efbrazil (talk | contribs)thermal radiation --> longwave radiation as per discussion
16:09, 22 May 2023Thumbnail for version as of 16:09, 22 May 2023960 × 960 (7 KB)Efbrazil (talk | contribs)graphical tweaks
20:00, 19 May 2023Thumbnail for version as of 20:00, 19 May 2023960 × 960 (7 KB)Efbrazil (talk | contribs)Further tweak to word wrap
17:56, 19 May 2023Thumbnail for version as of 17:56, 19 May 2023960 × 960 (7 KB)Efbrazil (talk | contribs)Graphic enhancements, content unchanged
18:05, 11 May 2023Thumbnail for version as of 18:05, 11 May 2023960 × 960 (7 KB)Efbrazil (talk | contribs)Updating diagram to be based on newer data here: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/langley/what-is-earth-s-energy-budget-five-questions-with-a-guy-who-knows

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