Effect of Upper Tropospheric Humidity and Sea Surface Temperature on Greenhouse Factor in Tropical Region

The availability of upper tropospheric humidity (UTH), sea surface temperature (SST) and outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) from INSAT-3D has given the opportunity for exploring the impact of these parameters on the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere. The clear-sky greenhouse effect, G is defined as the energy trapped in the atmosphere due to gases present in it. Measurement of SST and OLR from satellites gives us the opportunity to estimate the energy trapped in the atmosphere. In the tropics, due to deep convection water vapour exists in the upper troposphere and influences the greenhouse effect. The impact of UTH and SST on greenhouse effect is explored using these observed data from INSAT-3D. This analysis shows that an increase of 2 K in sea surface temperature may increase the greenhouse absorption by about 22 W/m(2).