Interannual variability of the earth's climate during the last decade as observed by the Nimbus-7 spacecraft

A set of earth radiation budget observations spanning the time period 1979 to 1987 is considered. A diurnally averaged eight year top-of-the-atmosphere net radiation field is analyzed along with a zonally averaged radiation budget. Variability in the net radiation due to changes in the clear sky shortwave and longwave radiation fields or changes in the total cloudiness distribution and the cloud properties is assessed, along with those radiation-budget parameters key to the earth's heat balance.