Figure 1 Earth’s surface and atmosphere
The temperature of the Earth’s surface and that of the atmosphere above it (Figure 1) are governed by the intricate exchange of energy between the different components of the climate system — atmosphere, cryosphere (glaciers, ice sheets or anything else involving frozen water), oceans and land. If this exchange of energy — called the Earth’s radiation budget or energy budget — is in balance, the temperature of the Earth’s surface stays the same. However, if anything happens to tip the balance, such as an increase
in the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the temperature changes.
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