Satellite radiant flux measurements, radiosonde and surface meteorological data were combined in a study of the atmospheric energy budget on the regional scale over southeastern Australia. Monthly averages of quasi-horizontal energy fluxes were calculated for 6 radiosonde stations over the period 1974— 1976 and computed flux divergences compared with independent estimates based on the satellite radiation data. Adjustments of the winds to ensure mass balance were found to be necessary to obtain realistic results. Although exact balance was not obtained the contribution of the different energy types (potential, latent, etc.) to the overall energy budget showed compensation between the various terms and between the mean and eddy components. A general pattern of convergence by the zonal components and divergence of the meridional terms was observed in the mean and total energy flux divergence.
T. L. Hart (Wed,) studied this question.