The Earth's energy budget
On average, the Earth sends back to space as much energy as it receives. But not everywhere: low latitudes gain energy, high latitudes lose it. On the globe: red = gain, blue = loss.
Global annual mean
Gain and loss by latitude
Annual mean, in W/m²
received from the Sunabsorbedinfrared emittedgainloss
Heat carried towards the poles
Heat crossing each latitude (PW = 10¹⁵ W). Positive: northwards.
totalatmosphereocean
Key points
- 340 W/m²
- received on average at the top of the atmosphere
- 30 %
- sent straight back to space (albedo)
- 238 W/m²
- absorbed, then re-emitted as infrared
- 37° S – 37° N
- band where the Earth gains energy
- 5.8 PW
- maximum transport towards the North Pole, around 37° N
- 55 / -110
- budget at the equator / around 85° N (W/m²)
What you see on the globe
- The colour shows the budget: red where the Earth gains energy, blue where it loses it. The black line marks the balance.
- The red arrows point out to space: this is the infrared emitted by the Earth. They are longer where it is warm.
- The yellow and turquoise arrows show heat carried towards the poles, by the air (high up) and by the ocean (at the water surface).
- Switch to day of A and play the year: the gain zone follows the Sun from one hemisphere to the other.
Simplified albedo and outgoing infrared profiles, based on satellite measurements (ERBE, CERES) and adjusted so that the global budget is zero. Ocean / atmosphere split: order of magnitude after Trenberth and Caron (2001).