Atmospheric Sciences 321

Science of Climate
Lecture 4: Spatial Energy Balance
 Community Business
—  Check the assignments
—  You should have read chapters 1 and 2 of book
—  First HW #1 due Wednesday in class
—  Questions?
Review: Global Energy Balance
 Review: Simplest model of
Greenhouse Effect

S0
—  TOA (1 − α p ) = σ TA4 = σ Te4
4
4 4
—  Atmosphere σ Ts = 2σ TA
—  Surface S0
σ TA4 + (1 − α p ) = σ Ts4
4
 Solar Zenith Angle

—  A parallel wall of irradiance arrives at Earth from

the Sun. The irradiance per unit area depends on
the zenith angle.
 Solar Zenith Angle
—  Insolation at top of atmosphere – TOA
2
⎛d⎞
Q = S0 ⎜ ⎟ cosθ s
⎝ d⎠

—  Zenith Angle Formula

cosθ s = sin φ sin δ + cosφ cos δ cos h
—  Sunrise/set hour angle
cos h0 = − tan φ tan δ
 Daily Insolation
2
S0 ⎛ d ⎞
Q day
= ⎜ ⎟ [ h0 sin φ sin δ + cosφ cos δ sin h0 ]
π ⎝ d⎠

See class notes for derivation

 Daily Insolation Plot in Wm-2
90

30 25000

15 200 50 0 0
0
450
75

50
2

0
0 0

40 50 0

2
60 50

3
50

0
100

3
100

35 400
0
150

45
45 150
200
30 250 250
300 450 300
15 350
Latitude

350
400 400
0 400
450 40 450
−15 350 35
0
0 30 0
30 250
−30 0

0
200

50
500

150
−45
0

0 100
25
40

450
0
450

−60 20 50
0
35

50 0

400
25 0
1
−75 50

20500

350
300

0
110
550
0

0
10

−90
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
 Latitude Distribution of
Daily Insolation
600

500
Insolation (W m−2 )

400

300

200
Annual Mean

June 20
100 December 21

March 21
0
−90 −75 −60 −45 −30 −15 0 15 30 45 60 75 90
Latitude
 Insolation-Weighted Zenith Angle
—  IF you wanted to calculate an average zenith angle,
you should weight the average by insolation.

—  Of course this would still give the wrong albedo,

because the reflection of surfaces depend on zenith
angle in complicated ways.
h0

cosθ s
day
=
∫
− h0
Q cosθ s dh
h0
∫
− h0
Q dh

2
⎛d⎞
Q = S0 ⎜ ⎟ cosθ s
⎝ d⎠
Solar Zenith Angle Insolation-
Weighted over diurnal cycle
90
Annual Mean
80 June 20
December 21
Zenith Angle (degrees)

70 March 21

60

50

40

30
−90 −75 −60 −45 −30 −15 0 15 30 45 60 75 90
Latitude
 Insolation-Weighted Zenith Angle
—  is here contoured on Latitude vs Season plot
90 80
75 75
75 70 65 70
90 60 65 90
85 85
60 80 55 60
50 55 80
75 75
45 70 45 50 70
65
45 65
30 60 40
55 60
40 55
15 50
Latitude

50
45 40 45
0 40
40 45 40
−15 50 45
55 50
−30 40
60 55 40
45 65 70 60
−45 75 65 45
50 80 50
−60 55 70 85 55
60
65 75 90 60
−75 70
80 90 85 80 75 65
−90
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
 TOA Energy Balance
—  Net Radiation = Absorbed Solar - OLR
RTOA = Qabs − OLR
Qabs = STOA (1− α )
TOA Albedo – annual mean
TOA Albedo – JJA
TOA Albedo – DJF
 Annual

Albedo
Albedo measured by satellite
at top of atmosphere.
DJF

Includes effects of surface,

clear atmosphere, and clouds

Higher over land than ocean,

because of surface albedo.
JJA
Higher in high latitudes because
of zenith angle, clouds
and surface ice.

CERES data, 2000-2013.

Albedo
Clear-Sky Albedo
OLR = Outgoing Longwave Radiation
OLR for June, July, August = JJA
OLR for DJF
 Outgoing
Annual

Longwave
Radiation (OLR)
Greatest in tropical latitudes
that have not much cloud, DJF
since warm temperatures emit
to space there.

Lower over tropical cloudy regions

since clouds are opaque to
thermal infrared and their tops
are cold.
JJA

Lower in high latitudes because it

is colder there.

Super high over tropical deserts in

summer because the surface is hot
and there are few clouds or water
vapor to trap IR.
Net Radiation – Annual Mean
Net Radiation – JJA
Net Radiation – DJF
 Net Incoming
Annual

Radiation
Absorbed Solar
minus OLR DJF

More near equator than

in high latitudes

Much more in summer hemisphere

than winter hemisphere
JJA
Note annual mean is negative
over the Sahara/Arabian Desert.
How does this support dryness there?
Zonal Average Top-of-Atmosphere (TOA)
– Annual mean

Need to move
Energy Poleward –
in both hemispheres

—  Net Radiation has a latitude gradient - duh

 Computing Poleward Flux
—  We can compute the poleward energy flux in the
atmosphere and ocean necessary to balance the
TOA exchanges: First Law
z
∂Eao RTOA
= RTOA − ΔFao Space
∂t
RTOA = ΔFao
Eao
Atmosphere Fao
and Ocean t
y
Solid Earth
 Computing Poleward Flux
—  We can compute the poleward energy flux in the
atmosphere and ocean necessary to balance the
TOA exchanges: First Law
z
RTOA
∂Eao
= RTOA − ΔFao Space

∂t
RTOA = ΔFao Atmosphere
Eao
Fao
and Ocean t
y
Solid Earth

φ 2π
F (φ ) = ∫ π ∫ RTOA a 2 cosφ d λ dφ
− 0
2
 Poleward Energy Flux
—  Compute from TOA Balance by integrating over area
of polar cap
φ 2π
F (φ ) = ∫ π ∫ RTOA a 2 cosφ d λ dφ
− 0
2

—  Use Atmospheric Observations to compute

Atmospheric Flux, then Ocean flux is residual

FTotal (φ ) = FAtmosphere (φ ) + FOcean (φ )

 Poleward Heat Flux
—  Contributions of atmosphere and ocean are both
important, but are different functions of latitude.

—  Total from TOA

net radiation
satellite data.

—  Atmosphere from

atmosphere
measurements

—  Ocean flux is

residual in energy
budget
Thanks!