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Climate system

The climate system consists of five components: atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere (ice), biosphere, and geosphere. The fundamental processes driving the global climate system are heating by incoming short-wave solar radiation and cooling by long-wave radiation into space. If the earth had no atmosphere, the average temperature at the surface would be well below freezing.

The Climate System

(Adapted from 'ACE On-Line Fact Sheet Series: Global Climate Change'
(www.doc.mmu.ac.uk/aric/ace/online_info/gcc/gcc_05.html)