What is earth's energy budget?

Earth's temperature depends on how much sunlight the land, oceans, and atmosphere absorb, and how much heat the planet radiates back to space. This fact sheet describes the net flow of energy through different parts of the Earth system, and explains how the planetary energy budget stays in balance. read more

This flow of incoming and outgoing energy is Earth’s energy budget. For Earth’s temperature to be stable over long periods of time, incoming energy and outgoing energy have to be equal. In other words, the energy budget at the top of the atmosphere must balance. This state of balance is called radiative equilibrium. read more

Earth's climate is largely determined by the planet's energy budget, i.e., the balance of incoming and outgoing radiation. It is measured by satellites and shown in W/m2. read more

Earth's Energy Budget. When averaged globally and annually, only 51% of the solar radiation striking the earth and its atmosphere is absorbed at the surface. The atmosphere absorbs 19% of incoming solar radiation and the remaining 30% is reflected back into space. read more