Earth Energy Imbalance

Earth energy imbalance is the source’s measure of how much more energy Earth absorbs from the sun than it emits as infrared radiation. In Taking the shine off: albedo and global temperatures, Oliver Morton says the imbalance has more than doubled in the past 20 years.

The concept matters because it looks at the whole heat budget rather than only air temperature. The episode says the imbalance is mainly measured by NASA satellite instruments and independently checked through Ocean Heat Monitoring, because most excess energy enters the oceans.

Key Claims

• The imbalance rises when less sunlight is reflected and more energy is retained by the Earth system.
• It is presented as a more fundamental view of warming than surface air temperature alone.
• Satellite data and ocean heat data reinforce one another despite calibration challenges.

Connections

• Albedo Feedback, Aerosol Cooling Masking, Ocean Heat Monitoring, and Solar Geoengineering - mechanisms and responses tied to the imbalance.
• NASA, Argo floats, and Oliver Morton - measurement and source context.
• Carbon Removal and Climate Adaptation - broader climate-response context.