ABSTRACT
This chapter looks first at the nature of the atmosphere through which the energy has to pass to reach Earth's surface. It examines the internal mechanisms of the energy flow, and considers the spatial variability of the flows which give rise to different climates. In the lower part of the atmosphere its concentration has been increasing as a result of higher car pollution, but in the stratosphere its level should remain constant, destruction being balanced by creation. The amount of scattering and absorption will vary, depending upon the degree of haziness of the atmosphere. The energy transfer into the atmosphere is the final component of the radiation imbalance between surface and atmosphere. The spatially and temporally varying inputs and outputs of radiant energy from the surface form the energy gradient between surface and atmosphere and between tropics and polar regions.
