氣候的表徵呈現於大氣圈，大氣環流則扮演傳送的角色。大氣不斷在運動，運動所需的能量，源自太陽。要瞭解有多少太陽輻射能量可為地球使用，我們必須先知道大氣成分、地表特性、雲量等影響太陽及地球輻射的因子。因此，在本課程中，我們將分別介紹太陽輻射與地球長波輻射的特性，並了解地表與大氣的輻射平衡狀態，再以整體的探討，從加熱分布不均勻而被驅動的大氣運動，進一步談到改變氣候系統的狀況以及能量的分布。

The general circulation plays an important role to transport energy in the atmosphere. The source of the energy on the earth is mainly from the sun. It is very important to understand how much solar energy can be used for the atmospheric circulation. It is also necessary to understand the components of the atmosphere, the land surface characteristics and the impact from clouds when the atmospheric radiation are discussed. In this class, we will introduce the basic theories of the radiation, the main features of the solar radiation and the planetary long wave radiation from the earth. Finally, a detailed discussion of the atmospheric circulation associated with the radiation and energy budget is provided.