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Earth and Space Sciences · Glossary

What is Net radiation; radiative surplus and deficit?

Also known as: net radiation · radiative surplus · radiative deficit

Definition 27.6 University Earth and Space Sciences — Year 1 · Chapter 27 — Radiation and Heat Transport

The net radiation at the top of the atmosphere is

R=(1−α) Qˉ⏟absorbed solar−OLR,R = \underbrace{(1 - \alpha)\,\bar Q}_{\text{absorbed solar}} - \text{OLR},

where α\alpha is the local albedo, the fraction of the incoming sunlight reflected to space; all three quantities are annual means at one latitude. A latitude where R>0R > 0 has a radiative surplus; one where R<0R < 0 has a radiative deficit.

Zonal and annual mean absorbed solar radiation (orange) and outgoing longwave radiation (red) at the top of the atmosphere, from the NCEP-NCAR Reanalysis 1, means 1991–2020 (data provided by the NOAA PSL, Boulder, Colorado, USA, from their website at https://psl.noaa.gov). Shaded: the radiative surplus of the low latitudes and the deficits of the high latitudes.
Zonal and annual mean absorbed solar radiation (orange) and outgoing longwave radiation (red) at the top of the atmosphere, from the NCEP-NCAR Reanalysis 1, means 1991–2020 (data provided by the NOAA PSL, Boulder, Colorado, USA, from their website at https://psl.noaa.gov). Shaded: the radiative surplus of the low latitudes and the deficits of the high latitudes.

Examples

Example 27.7 (The reanalysis’s global budget)

Averaged over the globe, the reanalysis receives 341.9 W m−2341.9\,\mathrm{W}\,\mathrm{m}^{-2}, reflects 117.0 W m−2117.0\,\mathrm{W}\,\mathrm{m}^{-2} (an albedo of 0.3420.342), absorbs 224.8 W m−2224.8\,\mathrm{W}\,\mathrm{m}^{-2} and emits 237.7 W m−2237.7\,\mathrm{W}\,\mathrm{m}^{-2}: a net radiation of −12.9 W m−2-12.9\,\mathrm{W}\,\mathrm{m}^{-2}. The OLR is within 1.3 W m−21.3\,\mathrm{W}\,\mathrm{m}^{-2} of the assessed 239 W m−2239\,\mathrm{W}\,\mathrm{m}^{-2}, but the reflection is 17 W m−217\,\mathrm{W}\,\mathrm{m}^{-2} larger than the assessed 100 W m−2100\,\mathrm{W}\,\mathrm{m}^{-2}. A real imbalance of this size would cool the Earth by 6.6 PW6.6\,\mathrm{PW}; it is an error of the model, not a property of the Earth, and the transport below is computed after removing the global mean.

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