Earth's energy budget

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/earth-s-energy-budget

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary energy input?Incoming solar radiation (insolation)
2. What is the energy balance equation?Absorbed Solar Radiation = Emitted Terrestrial Radiation (in equilibrium)
3. Why does about 30% of sunlight bounce back to space?Clouds, tiny particles called aerosols, and the Earth's surface reflect sunlight. This reflection is called albedo and helps keep the planet cooler.
4. How does the Earth keep warm when it absorbs more sunlight than it radiates?The extra energy is stored mainly in the oceans, which warm up. This warming also heats the air, land, and melts ice, causing global warming.

Radiative Forcing: A measure of how much the energy balance of the Earth shifts due to a specific factor.
Albedo: The reflectivity of a surface; higher albedo means more reflection, lower albedo means more absorption.
Thermal Inertia: The resistance of a substance to changes in temperature, particularly the ability of oceans to store heat.