Emerging hemispheric asymmetry of Earth's radiation.

ABSTRACT: Twenty-four years of satellite observations from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System show a northern hemisphere (NH) minus southern hemisphere (SH) trend difference of 0.34 ± 0.23 Wm^-2 dec^-1 (5 to 95% CI) in absorbed solar radiation (ASR) and a weaker trend difference of 0.21 ± 0.21 Wm^-2 dec^-1 in outgoing longwave radiation. The emerging darkening of the NH relative to the SH is associated with changes in hemispheric differences in aerosol-radiation interactions, surface albedo, and water vapor changes. Cloud changes also contribute to a greater ASR hemispheric contrast, but the magnitude is small due to opposing trend differences in the tropics and extratropics. The break in hemispheric symmetry in ASR challenges the notion that clo

SUBMITTER: Loeb NG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12519167 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature