If Earth was completely covered in ice, its albedo would be about 0.84, meaning it would reflect most (84 percent) of the sunlight that hit it. The last remaining CERES instrument will fly on the JPSS-1 satellite, and a follow-on, the Radiation Budget Instrument (RBI), will fly on JPSS-2. The first CERES went into space in 1997 on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, and three more have gone up on Terra, Aqua, and Suomi-NPP. The instruments use scanning radiometers to measure both the shortwave solar energy reflected by the planet (albedo) and the longwave thermal energy emitted by it.
#Digital atmosphere planetary map series#
Is more energy being absorbed by Earth than is being lost to space? If so, what happens to the excess energy?įor seventeen years, scientists have been examining this balance sheet with a series of space-based sensors known as Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System, or CERES. Exactly how much sunlight is absorbed depends on the reflectivity of the atmosphere and the surface.Īs scientists work to understand why global temperatures are rising and how carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are changing the climate system, they have been auditing Earth’s energy budget. About one-third of that energy is reflected back into space, and the remaining 240 watts per square meter is absorbed by land, ocean, and atmosphere.
Averaged over the entire planet, roughly 340 watts per square meter of energy from the Sun reach Earth.
#Digital atmosphere planetary map driver#
Sunlight is the primary driver of Earth’s climate and weather.
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