Thermodynamics of the Climate System

The climate system comprises the fluid envelopes of Earth: the atmosphere, oceans, and cryosphere. Those constituents, along with the evolving surface properties of the solid lithosphere, are responsible for reflecting some and absorbing most radiation received from the Sun. The climate system is close to an energy balance at all times. The total energy doesn’t significantly fluctuate in time because terrestrial radiation is emitted to space at approximately the same rate at which solar energy is absorbed.
The climate system comprises the fluid envelopes of Earth: the atmosphere, oceans, and cryosphere. Those constituents, along with the evolving surface properties of the solid lithosphere, are responsible for reflecting some and absorbing most radiation received from the Sun. The climate system is close to an energy balance at all times. The total energy doesn’t significantly fluctuate in time because terrestrial radiation is emitted to space at approximately the same rate at which solar energy is absorbed.…