Clouds and Climate Clouds and oceans are the two largest and least understood components of the climate system. Radiation Energy may be transferred from one object to another without the space between them being heated. This is the mechanism where earth receives energy from the sun as radiation.
Radiation travels in the form of waves that release energy when they are absorbed by an object.
Waves of radiation can be distinguished by wavelength, which is the distance between two successive crests of the wave. The solar radiation reaching earth is in three wavelength spectra. When an object emits and absorbs energy at equal rates, its temperature remains unchanged. Absorption and emission are in balance. To maintain an energy balance, the atmosphere and the oceans transfer the excess energy from the equator to the poles.