8
D. H. JOHNSON:
In the latter case, as VONDER HAAR and SUOMI (1969) point out, the importance of air-sea
interaction would receive fresh emphasis. Figs. 1 and 2 show the mean annual geographic
distributions of planetary albedo and outgoing infrared radiation. In both cases there
are pronounced east-west variations within the tropics.
The high-resolution infrared radiometers (HRIR) carried by the NIMBUS satellites
have measured radiation in the 3.4 to 4.2 f1 atmospheric window. They scan horizon
to horizon in a direction perpendicular to the orbital track and give a resolution at the
Fig. 1. The distribution of the mean annual planetary albedo in %. (After VONDER HAAR and SUOMI,
1969)
~~~~60
70 160
120
80
40
0
40
80
120
160
70
Fig. 2. The' distribution of the mean annual outgoing longwave radiation In cal cm- 2 min-l.
(After VONDER HAAR and SUOMI, 1969)