Page 303 - Ultimate Visual Dictionary (DK)

THE ATMOSPHERE

STRUCTURE OF THE GLOBAL WARMING
ATMOSPHERE
Solar radiation Some reradiated
reradiated as heat heat escapes
into space
Sun
Some reradiated
heat reflected back
to Earth
Incoming solar
radiation
Earth
Atmosphere

NATURALLY MODERATED
GREENHOUSE EFFECT
Meteor (shooting star)
burns up as it passes Less reradiated
through atmosphere heat escapes
Solar radiation More reradiated
reradiated as heat heat reflected
back to Earth
Surface
Aurora
temperature
rises
“Greenhouse
gases” accumulate
in atmosphere

Incoming solar
radiation
UNBALANCED GREENHOUSE
14% of incoming solar EFFECT
radiation absorbed
by atmosphere
7% of incoming solar COMPOSITION OF THE
radiation reflected LOWER ATMOSPHERE
by atmosphere
Other elements less
than 0.1%
24% of incoming
solar radiation Argon 0.93%
reflected by clouds
Cosmic rays (high-energy Oxygen 21%
particles from space)
penetrate to stratosphere
Some absorbed
heat reradiated
by atmosphere Nitrogen 78%
4% of incoming solar
radiation reflected by
oceans and land
51% of incoming solar
radiation absorbed by
Earth’s surface
Some absorbed heat
re-radiated by clouds

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