This presentation introduces basic physical concepts relating to energy flow in the Earth’s atmosphere, then focuses in-depth on the concept of Earth’s Energy Budget: the big picture, balancing the budget, and the latest component values based on recent satellite data. The final segment describes how the energy budget is manifest in the Arctic, and addresses why this area of the globe is warming much faster than other regions.

Dr. Lin Chambers is the director of the S’COOL and MY NASA DATA Projects, as well as the contrail scientist for the GLOBE Program. She received her education in aeronautical/aerospace engineering. After 10 years of work on problems relating to spacecraft reentering Earth’s atmosphere after visits to Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars, she switched over to the related problem of radiative transfer in the atmosphere itself (without man-made objects). She is interested in the effects of clouds on the movement of solar radiation, as well as engaging students and the public with NASA science.

Dr. Patrick Taylor’s research is motivated by the desire to understand how clouds respond to Earth System variability and the subsequent impacts on Earth’s energy budget through the synergistic use of observations and models. Dr. Taylor’s research concentrates on understanding the cloud response to atmospheric dynamic and thermodynamic changes and atmospheric-surface interaction. His current research effort investigates the linkages between sea ice, clouds, and the atmospheric circulation in the Arctic. Knowledge of how clouds respond to these forcing mechanisms provides valuable information for assessing the magnitude of cloud feedback and the reliability of the representation of cloud feedback in climate models. Dr. Taylor received his PhD from Florida State University in 2009 and has since worked as a Research Scientist at NASA Langley Research Center. Dr. Taylor was a recipient of the 2012 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) and also honored with a 2013 NASA Early Career Achievement Medal for his work in understanding how clouds influence Earth’s energy budget.

He has also served as a Rapporteur for the “Observing and Modeling Earth’s Energy Flows” workshop hosted by the International Space Science Institute.  Dr. Taylor currently serves on the Governor’s Climate Change and Resiliency Commission for the state of Virginia.  At NASA Langley Research Center, Dr. Taylor is a member of the Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) science team, leads the climate processes and diagnostics research group, and serves as a member of the Science Directorate 10-year planning committee as co-lead for the Radiation Budget focus area.

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