Do Global Energy budgets make sense. ???

[h-j-m]

Derek, you wrote:

Quote:Explain the temperature on the dark side of planet earth then, the K&T budgets DO NOT.

Sorry, but you are wrong. They are based on averaged values all around the world as well as for (near surface) temperatures as for incoming solar radiation which varies from zero to (next to) 1500 W per square meter.

In my humble opinion the right question to be asked first has to be:
Do average values constitute a base to explain and/or predict physical phenomena?

My answer is obviously no!

Why? That is easy. A physical phenomenon is something happening that can be observed. But nothing can happen unless it is caused by energetic differences. Building average values takes all differences out and in consequence all physics.

A nice example of cause is the "Stefan–Boltzmann law" which is all about averages.

Now, if I compare the (effective) temperature of the sun (5778 K) with the measurements taken (1 - 2 million degrees K at the corona). That gives me a rough idea how to interpret earth temperatures derived from it's application.