Effective Terrestrial Radiation
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Effective Terrestrial Radiation
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The amount by which outgoing infrared terrestrial
radiation of the earth's surface exceeds downcoming infrared counter-radiation
from the atmosphere. Also called nocturnal radiation, effective radiation.
See actinometer.
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It is to be emphasized that this amount is a positive quantity, of the
order of several tenths of a langley per minute, at all times of day (except
under conditions of low overcast clouds). It typically attains its diurnal
maximum during the midday hours when high soil temperatures create high rates
of outgoing terrestrial radiation. (For this reason the synonym nocturnal
radiation is apt to lead to slight confusion.) However, in daylight hours the
effective terrestrial radiation is generally much smaller than the insolation,
while at night it typically dominates the energy budget of the earth's
surface.
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References
This article is based on NASA's Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use
