Comprehensive Remote Sensing:Vol. 5 - Earth’s Energy Budget

The regional climate of planet Earth is controlled by the amount of energy received from the Sun and the way it is dispersed or redistributed. The Sun, like other stars, is a variable star emitting varying energy due to sunspot and magnetic activity cycles. The amount of solar energy incident at a location on Earth is constantly modulated on a variety of timescales ranging from millennia to seasons due to periodic changes in the Earth’s orbital precession, eccentricity, obliquity, etc., and the changing environmental conditions. The Earth receives maximum heat from the Sun over the tropics and distributes it polewards through atmospheric and oceanic circulations.The regional climate of planet Earth iscontrolled by the amount of energy receivedfrom the Sun and the way it isdispersed or redistributed. The Sun, likeother stars, is a variable star emittingvarying energy due to sunspot and magneticactivity cycles. The amount ofsolar energy incident at a location onEarth is constantly modulated on a varietyof timescales ranging from millenniato seasons due to periodic changes in theEarth’s orbital precession, eccentricity,obliquity, etc., and the changing environmentalconditions. The Earth receivesmaximum heat from the Sun over thetropics and distributes it polewardsthrough atmospheric and oceanic circulations.