Solar radiation is the major energy source that drives our climate and supports life on earth. In this project, the research team hopes to gain a better understanding of the solar radiation reflected back into space and absorbed by our planet, also known as the Earth’s heat balance. The team will collect data related to this balance using weather observing instruments and possibly a specially equipped aircraft to detect wind speed and directions and electromagnetic radiation. The measurements are part of an international effort to record radiation called the Baseline Surface Radiation Network project. The data collected will be used to further study the Greenland Ice Sheet and it’s processes such as melting and gas exchange with the atmosphere. Studying heat balance is an important concept in climatology because light surfaces, like snow, reflect more radiation back into space while dark surfaces, like water, absorb more radiation. When you have snow cover, about 90% of the solar energy that goes through the atmosphere is reflected back into space. But increasing the amount of water on the Ice Sheet causes less radiation to reflect and more heat to be absorbed. This increases the temperature and causes more ice to melt |