How is the atmosphere heated and cooled?
The atmosphere is heated from the bottom because it is transparent to short wave solar radiation. The troposphere is cooled by long wave infrared radiation to space. The earth’s surface and the atmosphere both emit infrared radiation. The atmosphere is opaque to infrared radiation. Most of the infrared radiation emitted by the earth’s surface is absorbed in the lower troposphere and then carried upward by convection. Heat is carried from the earth’s surface to the lower troposphere by sensible heat, latent heat and by radiation. The heat is then carried upward by convection. Within the troposphere heat is transported upward mainly by convection. Infrared radiation to space cools the troposphere by 1 to 3C per day. For more information on the earth’s energy budget refer to entropy budget reference figures. About 30% of the solar radiation is reflected directly back to space as short wave solar radiation either by the atmosphere, by clouds, or by the earth’s surface. Reflected solar radi
