A Preliminary Investigation of Radiative Heat Exchange Between the Ocean and the Atmosphere

Abstract

Quantitative estimates of the exchange of heat by radiation between the earth's surface and the atmosphere have been provided for the North Atlantic region during a representative winter season (1956?57). The evacuations were made with the aid of Elsasser's radiation chart. The primary data used were the soundings of the ocean weather stations and Bermuda and Azores. Though the network of stations is rather open, the broad aspects of the pattern stand out with clarity. In particular, this is true of the configurations associated with the mobile cyclones in various stage of development, the meridional variation and the influences due to the distribution of continents and oceans. The divergence of the vertical radiative flux of heat was evaluated at all stations, and it was found that the locations of the main Ion by the atmosphere are situated at about 800 mb and in the upper part of the troposphere.