Whose studies first identified the planet’s heat budget?

Quick Answer

Knut Angström and later climate scientists helped quantify Earth’s radiation balance. This work showed how incoming sunlight and outgoing heat control climate.

The Full Story

Knut Angström, a Swedish physicist, was among the researchers who helped develop the science of radiation absorption and Earth’s energy balance in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Later scientists built on this work to describe the planet’s heat budget: how much solar energy enters, how much is reflected, and how much infrared heat escapes. This framework is essential for understanding greenhouse gases, albedo, and climate change. It is one of the basic concepts behind modern climate modeling.

Key Facts

1.Earth’s energy balance compares incoming and outgoing radiation

2.Albedo and greenhouse gases both affect the balance

3.Radiation studies grew rapidly in the late 19th century

YouTube Angle

Was this answer helpful?

Tap a reaction — it helps us pick what to cover next.