An overview of the disposition of solar radiation in the lower atmosphere: Connections to the SORCE mission and climate change

Abstract

Solar radiation is the primary energy source for many processes in Earth's environment and is responsible for driving the atmospheric and oceanic circulation. The integrated strength and spectral distribution of solar radiation is modified from the space-based Solar Radiation and Climate (SORCE) measurements through scattering and absorption processes in the atmosphere and at the surface. Understanding how these processes perturb the distribution of radiative flux density is essential in determining the climate response to changes in concentration of various gases and aerosol particles from natural and anthropogenic sources, as is discerning their associated feedback mechanisms. The past decade has been witness to a tremendous effort to quantify the absorption of solar radiation by clouds and aerosol particles via airborne and space-based observations. Vastly improved measurement and modeling capabilities have enhanced our ability to quantify the radiative energy budget, yet gaps persist in our knowledge of some fundamental variables. This paper reviews some of the many advances in atmospheric solar radiative transfer as well as those areas where large uncertainties remain. The SORCE mission's primary contribution to the energy budget studies is the specification of the solar total and spectral irradiance at the top of the atmosphere. © 2005 Springer.