CLIMATIC CHARACTERISTICS OF EARTH-ATMOSPHERE OUTGOING LONGWAVE RADIATION OVER CHINA^*

ERBE and ISCCP data are used to investigate the cloud forcing and latitude and atmospheric temperature effects on outgoing longwave radiation(OLR) in the earth-atmosphere system,and the similarity of OLR field to 500 hPa and surface effective radiation fields.Also,discussion is taken up of the OLR distribution on a nationwide basis,indicating that the winter(summer) OLR pattern is roughly a zonal type(asymmetrical saddle) with the annual pattern analogous to the January one.In the end the yearly OLR variation features are addressed on a regional basis.