Heat Balance

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Heat Balance

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1. The equilibrium which exists on the average between the radiation received by a planet and its atmosphere from the sun and that emitted by the planet and atmosphere. </dd>
That the equilibrium does exist in the mean is demonstrated by the observed long-term constancy of the earth's surface temperature. On the average, regions of the earth nearer the equator than about 35 degrees latitude receive more energy from the sun than they are able to radiate, whereas latitudes higher than 35 degrees received less. The excess of heat is carried from low latitudes to higher latitudes by atmospheric and oceanic circulations and is reradiated there. </dd>
2. The equilibrium which is known to exist when all sources of heat gain and loss for a given region or body are accounted for. In general this balance includes advective, evaporative (etc.) terms as well as a radiation term. </dd>

References

This article is based on NASA's Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use