Introduction

Spatial and temporal variations in the flows of energy between the surface, the atmosphere, and space play a central role in establishing the large-scale atmosphere and ocean circulation patterns that ultimately drive both weather and climate on Earth. The sensitivity of the climate system to external forcings, including increasing greenhouse gas concentrations, is, therefore, governed by the energy imbalances they induce and the partitioning of these imbalances between the atmosphere, ocean, and cryosphere. We use the latest satellite observations to construct Earth’s energy budget from its component fluxes and understand the factors that modulate this balance on seasonal to decadal timescales. We have pioneered new methods for re-introducing balance constraints in observation-based energy and water cycle reconstructions and using these estimates to evaluate climate model predictions. We are also leading efforts to utilize measurements from spaceborne active sensors to quantify the influence of mixed-phase and multi-layered clouds on atmospheric and surface energy balance.