1998 Year of the Ocean 



Impacts of Global Climate Change 



Net Incoming solar 

 radiation 



Net outgoing infrared 

 radiation 



• 240 W m-2 



240 Wm 



-2 



Incoming 



solar radiation 



343 W m--2 



Some solar radiation is 



reflected by the earth's 



surface and the atmosphere 



A\ 103Wm-2 



m 



'>."^'/^-'/ 



ATMOSPHERE 



Solar radiation 



passes through the 



clear atmosphere 



Some of the infrared 

 radiation is absorbed 

 and re-emitted by the 

 greenhouse gases. 

 The effect of this is to 



warm the surface 

 and the troposphere 



mm- 



f 



Most solar radiatioh is absprtfed 

 by the surteceand warms it : 



EARTH 



Infrared radiation 

 is emitted from the. 

 i'ssurface 



m 



'%. 



Figure 1. A simplified diagram illustrating the global long-term radiative balance of the 

 atmosphere. 



G-7 



