ABSTRACT
Beginning in the 1940s, observational data on short-wave radiation and the radiation balance at the earth’s surface have been used for determination of norms of radiation-regime elements. Even for well-studied elements of the regime as total short-wave radiation and the radiation balance at the earth’s surface, the available data of observations on the oceans and on parts of the land are insufficient for designing schematic maps. Under such conditions, calculation methods for determination of components of the radiation and heat balances have great importance. General employment of calculation methods for the determination of norms of heat-balance components in contemporary investigations has made it possible to construct a series of maps giving a detailed presentation of geographical regularities in the heat balance at the earth’s surface and in the atmosphere. The distribution of total short-wave radiation in March and September resembles the distribution presented in the annual map. At this time also, the greatest values of radiation are observed in the tropical desert regions.
