Abstract
The climate system is a large heat engine driven by the radiation from the sun (FIGURE 1). About 30% of the energy of the sun is reflected, 70% is absorbed. If the earth were a black body, the equilibrium temperature needed to re-emit the absorbed radiation would be -20°C. However, the earth is surrounded by the natural greenhouse gases (in order of importance: the water vapour, CO2 and methane). These are essential for a liveable climate. The solar radiation passes unhindered to the earth surface, but the infrared (thermal) radiation is partially absorbed and re-emitted to the earth’s surface. This results in an increase of the atmospheric temperature by about 35 °C yielding a global mean average of 15 °C.
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Hasselmann, K., Cubasch, U. (1999). Climate and its Influential Factors, Especially the Anthropogenic Enhancement of the Greenhouse Effect and its Possible Impacts — Results of the Second Assessment Report of the IPCC. In: Hacker, J., Pelchen, A. (eds) Goals and Economic Instruments for the Achievement of Global Warming Mitigation in Europe. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4726-2_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4726-2_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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