Radiative forcing

prefLabel
  • Radiative Forcing
definition
  • A change imposed upon the climate system which modifies the radiative balance of that system. The causes of such a change may include changes in the sun, clouds, ice, greenhouse gases, volcanic activity, and other agents. Radiative forcing is often specified as the net change in energy flux at the troposphere (watts per square meter). Radiative forcing may sometimes be referred to as external forcing or perturbations of the climate. 
inScheme
broader
Abstract from DBPedia
    Radiative forcing (or climate forcing) is the change in energy flux in the atmosphere caused by natural or anthropogenic factors of climate change as measured by watts / metre2. It is a scientific concept used to quantify and compare the external drivers of change to Earth's energy balance. System feedbacks and internal variability are related concepts, encompassing other factors that also influence the direction and magnitude of imbalance. Positive radiative forcing means Earth receives more incoming energy from sunlight than it radiates to space. This net gain of energy will cause warming. Conversely, negative radiative forcing means that Earth loses more energy to space than it receives from the sun, which produces cooling. A planet in radiative equilibrium with its parent star and the rest of space can be characterized by net zero radiative forcing and by a planetary equilibrium temperature. Radiative forcing on Earth is meaningfully evaluated at the tropopause and at the top of the stratosphere. It is quantified in units of watts per square meter, and often summarized as an average over the total surface area of the globe. Radiative forcing varies with solar insolation, surface albedo, and the atmospheric concentrations of radiatively active gases – commonly known as greenhouse gases – and aerosols.

    放射強制力(ほうしゃきょうせいりょく、英語: radiative forcing)とは、気候学における用語で、地球に出入りするエネルギーが地球の気候に対して持つ放射の大きさのこと。正の放射強制力は温暖化、負の放射強制力は寒冷化を起こす。

    (Source: http://dbpedia.org/resource/Radiative_forcing)