Solar Radiation

 Earth receives most of its energy in form of short wavelengths.

 Insolation is – incoming solar radiation.
 Earth is a geoid, resembling a sphere.
 Earth is farthest from the Sun – 4th July (Aphelion position)
 Earth is nearest to the sun on – 3rd January (Perihelion position)
 Factors responsible for variation in insolation during a day, season and a year:
1. Rotation of Earth
2. Angle of inclination of Sun’s rays.
3. Length of day
4. Transparency of atmosphere
5. Configuration of land in terms of its aspect.
 Earth’s axis has a 66.5 degrees angle with plane of orbit round the sun leads to variation
in insolation at different latitudes.
 Area covered by slant rays is more than vertical rays. Energy gets distributed and net
energy received per unit area decrease. The slant rays of Solar radiation are absorbed,
scattered & diffused more in deep atmosphere.
 The Solar radiation spectrum is beautifully explained by the following diagram.

 Atmosphere is transparent to short wave solar radiation.

 In troposphere – The water vapour, ozone and gases absorb near infrared radiation.
 Small- suspended particles in troposphere scatter visible spectrum. It adds colour to the
sky. Red colour of rising and setting sun is due to this. The blue colour of the sky are due
to scattering of light within the atmosphere.
 Maximum insolation is received over the sub tropical deserts, where the cloudliness is the
least.

 The Equator receives less than tropics, because it is at 90 degrees to the angle of
insolation.
 The same latitude, insolation is more over continents than on oceans.
 Earth heated by Solar radiation then transmits the heat to atmosphere in Long wave form.
 Conduction – It heats the lower layers of atmosphere. When two bodies of unequal
temperature come in contact with each other, there is flow of energy from warmer to
cooler body. The air in contact with land gets heated slowly and the upper layer in
contact also gets heated.
 Convection– It occurs only in troposphere. The air in contact with earth rises vertically
on heating in form of current and further transmits the heat. Vertical heating of
atmosphere is convection.
 Advection – The horizontal heat transfer through movement of air. In middle latitudes,
most of diurnal variations in daily weather is by advection. Loo is also due to advection.
 Terrestrial radiation– The insolation received by the Earth is in form of short wave
radiation. The Earth radiates energy to atmosphere in form of long wave radiation. The
gases like Carbon-dioxide and other green house gases absorb this long wave radiation is
trap the heat.
 The Atmosphere in turn radiates this heat in the space.
 Heat budget of the Earth – Earth maintains its temperature. The amount of heat
received in form of insolation equals the amount lost by Earth through terrestrial
 radiation.

 Albedo of Earth – The reflected amount of radiation or insolation from clouds, snow,
and ice-covered areas of earth is known as albedo.
 There is surplus of net radiation balance between 40 degrees North and South. While
there is deficit in poles.
 Heat represents the molecular movement of particles comprising a substance.
Temperature is measurement in degrees of how hot or cold a thing or place is.
 Factors controlling Temperature are:
1. Latitude – Insolation received varies according to latitude.
2. Altitude – Temperature decreases with increasing height. The rate of decrease of
temperature with height is normal lapse rate. It is 6.5 degree Celsius for per 1000
meters.
3. Distance from the Sea – The sea gets heated slowly, land heats fast. While sea
loses heat slowly, land loses fast. Variation of temperature over sea is less than on
land. Sea and land breeze influence on places near sea.
4. Air-mass and ocean currents – Passage of air masses and currents affects the
temperature of places where they pass.
5. Local aspects– They also influence the local temperature.
 Isotherms are lines joining places having equal temperatures on map, are generally
parallel to latitude.
 Highest range of temperature is more than 60 degrees Celsius over North-Eastern port of
Eurasian continent, due to continentality.