| The Earth is being heated by the Sun every day. | | | | from the hotter to the cooler body. We can |
| Almost 174,000 Terawatts of energy hits the | | | | actually feel this cooling effect at night, but the |
| Earth. One Terawatt is equal to one million | | | | truth is that it is happening all 24 hours. The Earth |
| megawatts! So the Sun is heating the Earth with | | | | is constantly cooling by radiating out its energy |
| 174 billion megawatts of energy! Of this, about | | | | into deep space. We don't feel it during day |
| 30% is reflected back due to the white | | | | because the effect of the Sun's radiation is to |
| reflectivity of the Earth which is known in science | | | | annul the cooling and go on further to warm the |
| as the albedo effect. So the net energy absorbed | | | | Earth. Over the millions of years the Earth has |
| by the Earth is 122 Terawatts. | | | | achieved a balance of its temperature equating |
| If so much energy is being absorbed by the | | | | the heating by the Sun and the cooling at night. |
| Earth, it should continue to heat up and its | | | | The sea has a vast reserve of water which is |
| temperature must continue to rise constantly. | | | | capable of absorbing the heat of the Sun without |
| Within days the temp should surpass the | | | | change in its temperature. Sun's radiation |
| maximum that any life could bear. All life would die | | | | penetrates a long distance down in the water and |
| and the trees whither and char. | | | | the heat is absorbed into a very big mass of |
| But this does not happen. The Earth has its own | | | | water. In places where there are algae or |
| temperature stability. Why? Because, at night the | | | | plankton as a mixed layer, its depth makes some |
| Earth radiates the heat absorbed during the day | | | | difference. Observations of sea surface |
| into deep space. Of the 122 TW that the Earth | | | | temperature (SST) where there was ocean |
| absorbs from the Sun, it radiates 121TW back | | | | mixed layer (OML) at 5 feet below surface |
| into deep space and the difference is converted | | | | showed a day night temperature difference of 1.5 |
| into work for moving the air, the clouds and the | | | | degrees centigrade. But when the OML was 50 |
| sea currents and tides. Radiation always takes | | | | feet deep, the temperature difference |
| place between two bodies, the heat going out | | | | was only just 0.1 degree! |