global heat budget

• • sun provides 100%of solar energy received by earth
• • 23% absorbed by atmosphere, water vapour, clouds and dust
• • 8% of energy lost by scattering to atmospheric dust and gases
• • clouds are white so have a high albedo so 17% of energy is reflected
• • 52% of energy reaches earths surface
• • landscapes absorb 46% of energy that travels to earths surface because of the dense tropical rainforests on the equator at right angles to the sun
• • 6% is reflected by earth due to white polar regions due to albedo effect