Climatology
Solar radiation and the heat budget
Practise 4 PYQsConcepts to cover
- Insolation and its variation: Earth-Sun distance, angle of incidence, day length, transparency, aspect
- Spectrum of insolation: short-wave solar and long-wave terrestrial radiation; infrared absorption by water vapour and carbon dioxide
- Heating of the atmosphere from below: terrestrial radiation, conduction, convection, advection
- Heat budget of the planet, albedo and the balance of radiation
- Greenhouse effect of the atmosphere on the Earth's mean temperature
- Latitudinal surplus and deficit of heat and its transfer by winds and currents
Where to study
Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Class XI, chapter 8: Solar Radiation, Heat Balance and Temperature (Reprint 2026-27)
- ch. 8, Solar Radiation, Heat Balance and Temperature, p. 1-9 (book pages 67-75)
- ch. 8, Variability of Insolation at the Surface of the Earth, p. 1-2 (book pages 67-68)
- ch. 8, The Passage of Solar Radiation through the Atmosphere, p. 2 (book page 68)
- ch. 8, Heating and Cooling of Atmosphere, p. 2 (book page 68)
- ch. 8, Heat Budget of the Planet Earth, p. 3-4 (book pages 69-70)
- ch. 8, Variation in the Net Heat Budget at the Earth’s Surface, p. 4 (book page 70)
Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Class XI, chapter 11: World Climate and Climate Change (Reprint 2026-27)
- ch. 11, Greenhouse Gases(GHGs), p. 6-8 (book pages 96-98)