On the Radiative Equilibrium and Heat Balance of the Atmosphere

In order to incorporate the effect of radiation into the numerical experiment of the general circulation of the atmosphere, a simplified scheme for computing the radiative temperature change is constructed. The effects included are long wave radiation by water vapor, carbon dioxide, and ozone and the absorption of solar radiation by these three gases. The absorptivities of these gases are determined based upon the recent results of laboratory experiments and those of theoretical computations. The effects of clouds are not included. By use of this scheme the radiative equilibrium temperature is computed for various latitudes and seasons as asymptotic solutions of an initial value problem. To a certain degree the radiative equilibrium solutions reveal some of the typical characteristics of stratospheric temperature and tropopause height variations. Radiative heat budgets of the atmosphere are also computed and compared with the results of the computations of radiative equilibrium. This comparison is helpful for understanding the role of radiative processes and also suggests the kinds of effect we should expect from other thermal processes in the atmosphere.