radiative forcing

From Glossary of Meteorology
  1. In radiation, the net flux of radiation into or out of a system.

As a consequence of radiative forcing there must be some change to the nonradiative energy states of the system (e.g., its temperature may change).

  1. In climatology, a systematic perturbation to the climatological value of the net radiant flux density at some point in the earth's climate system.
    For example, this perturbation may be due to a change in concentration of the radiatively active gases, a change in solar radiation reaching the earth, or changes in surface albedo.
Copyright 2024 American Meteorological Society (AMS). For permission to reuse any portion of this work, please contact [email protected]. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S. Code § 107) or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S.Copyright Act (17 USC § 108) does not require AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a website or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, require written permission or a license from AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy statement.