Incoming Spectra
Slide 3 in this series.
Incoming energy from the sun has a specific spectra. Returning to the energy flow, the solar incoming to the top of the atmosphere has 4 paths it can take.
Only 51% of the energy reaches the earth's surface where it is absorbed. Note the impact of clouds, as was noted before.
The shortwave radiation spectrum that does reach earth has a lot of holes in it due to the absorption by various gases. This does not include the impact of reflection by clouds and the earth's surface either, so there are a number of ways that the incoming energy is split.
Note the impact that water vapor has, not including the clouds that can reflect the incoming energy. Note also the units of W/m2.
NEXT: Looking also at the outgoing spectra, we can see how the energy is balanced.
The links below are to the pages or slides in this section, which covers the science of CO2.
