Budgets: Mass, Moisture, Energy

Budgets: Mass, Moisture, Energy

The uneven distribution of incoming and outgoing radiation is the primary driver of the climate system. The resulting flows of energy by the climate components (atmosphere, ocean, ice, etc) determine the climate. Ultimately, the net difference between incoming and outgoing radiation determines if the climate is changing. Hence, estimating and understanding energy transports is essential for current climate assessment and future prospects.

Cite this page

Acknowledgement of any material taken from or knowledge gained from this page is appreciated:

National Center for Atmospheric Research Staff (Eds). Last modified "The Climate Data Guide: Budgets: Mass, Moisture, Energy.” Retrieved from https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data/budgets-mass-moisture-energy on 2025-07-01.


Citation of datasets is separate and should be done according to the data providers' instructions. If known to us, data citation instructions are given in the Data Access section, above.


Acknowledgement of the Climate Data Guide project is also appreciated:

Schneider, D. P., C. Deser, J. Fasullo, and K. E. Trenberth, 2013: Climate Data Guide Spurs Discovery and Understanding. Eos Trans. AGU, 94, 121–122, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013eo130001

Key Figures

Climatological annual mean energy budget for 2000–2005 (W m-2). (Trenberth & Fasullo, 2011)

Other Information

Earth system components and main variables
Atmosphere, Budget, Evaporation, Evaporation-Precipitation, Radiation
Type of data product
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Dataset collections
Climate Analysis Section (CAS) Data Catalog

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Data time period extended
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Input Data
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Missing Data Flag
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Ocean or Land
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Spatial Resolution
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Model Resolution (reanalysis)
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Data Assimilation Method
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Model Vintage (reanalysis)
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