New measurements quantify atmospheric greenhouse effect

Abstract

In spite of a large body of existing measurements of incoming short‐wave solar radiation and outgoing long‐wave terrestrial radiation at the surface of the Earth and, more recently, in the upper atmosphere, there are few observations documenting how radiation profiles change through the atmosphere—information that is necessary to fully quantify the greenhouse effect of Earth's atmosphere. Through the use of existing technology but employing improvements in observational techniques it may now be possible not only to quantify but also to understand how different components of the atmosphere (e.g., concentration of gases, cloud cover, moisture, and aerosols) contribute to the greenhouse effect. Using weather balloons equipped with radiosondes, Philipona et al. continuously measured radiation fluxes from the surface of Earth up to altitudes of 35 kilometers in the upper stratosphere. Combining data from flights conducted during both day and night with continuous 24‐hour measurements made at the surface of the Earth, the researchers created radiation profiles of all four components necessary to fully capture the radiation budget of Earth, namely, the upward and downward short‐wave and long‐wave radiation as a function of altitude.