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Cloudiness, the planetary radiation budget, and climate

dc.contributor.authorEllis, James S. (James Stephen), author
dc.contributor.authorVonder Haar, Thomas H., advisor
dc.contributor.authorCox, Stephen K., committee member
dc.date.accessioned2020-08-20T23:17:18Z
dc.date.available2020-08-20T23:17:18Z
dc.date.issued1978
dc.descriptionCovers not scanned.
dc.descriptionPrint version deaccessioned 2020.
dc.description.abstractSatellite planetary radiation budget measurements from the Nimbus 3 satellite for four semi-monthly periods along with a 29 month composite of measurements from six satellites are applied in a quantitative study to evaluate the effect of cloudiness on the planetary radiation budget. Annual and seasonal results are expressed as zonal, hemispherical and global mean values. The results show that for the planet as a whole the effect of "present day" clouds in reducing the absorbed shortwave flux is larger than their effect in reducing the long wave emitted flux. The difference between the two effects is significantly larger over oceans than over land. Similarly, the sensitivity to changes in cloud amount is greater in the shortwave absorbed flux than in the longwave flux emitted to space. It was also shown that the presence of clouds act to reduce the amplitude of the annual variation of the global planetary net radiation budget. One may hypothesize from the results of this study and the works of others that a uniform increase in global cloud amount (in the absence of changes in cloud top height, cloud albedo, other atmospheric constituents, and vertical temperature lapse rates) will decrease the global mean surface temperature until radiative equilibrium is restored.
dc.description.sponsorshipThis research was sponsored in part under NASA Grant NGR 06-002-102.
dc.format.mediumdoctoral dissertations
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10217/211529
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relationCatalog record number (MMS ID): 991009032769703361
dc.relationQC922 .E4
dc.relation.ispartof1950-1979
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjectCloudiness
dc.subjectEnergy budget (Geophysics)
dc.subjectTerrestrial radiation
dc.subjectSolar radiation
dc.titleCloudiness, the planetary radiation budget, and climate
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineAtmospheric Science
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)

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