The maps and animation illustrate how net radiation varies over the year at key months in the solar cycle. Places where more energy was going out than coming in (negative net radiation) are blue-green. Places where more energy was coming in than going out (positive net radation) are red. Places where the amounts of incoming and outgoing energy were in balance are yellow. These monthly maps of net radiation are based on observations collected by the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) sensors on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites. Net radiation is how much energy is available to influence the climate system-to melt ice, to raise temperatures, or to evaporate water from the oceans. The balance between incoming and outgoing energy is Earth’s net radiation. Energy goes out in two ways: reflection by clouds, aerosols, or the Earth’s surface and thermal radiation-heat emitted by the surface and the atmosphere, including clouds. Energy comes in to the system when sunlight penetrates the top of the atmosphere.
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