Abstract
The geothermal gradient delivers about 61.5 mW/m2 from the interior of the Earth to the surface. Since the surface area of the Earth is 5.1×108 km2, the rate at which energy is released from the interior of the Earth is 3.1×1010 kW. The solar power that impinges on the Earth is 342 W/m2. If all of this were absorbed, the Earth would receive 1.7×1014 kW. Actually, only about 70% of incident solar energy is absorbed by the Earth; nevertheless the solar input far exceeds that which derives from the interior. Therefore geothermal energy may be ignored when dealing with the heat balance of the Earth.
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© 2009 Praxis Publishing Ltd, Chichester, UK
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(2009). Variability of the Earth’s climate. In: Ice Ages and Interglacials. Springer Praxis Books. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-89680-7_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-89680-7_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-89679-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-89680-7
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