There are lots of things to be understood by data and for which simple radiative concepts are not useful. My statement was in the context of understanding climate and not just ‘first principles’.
‘The global coupled atmosphere–ocean–land–cryosphere system exhibits a wide range of physical and dynamical phenomena with associated physical, biological, and chemical feedbacks that collectively result in a continuum of temporal and spatial variability.’ Hurrell et al 2009
I suggested elsewhere that Kirschoff was not the correct approach for a body not in equilibrium – as we can see the Earth is not from the 1st Law of thermodynamics.
At top of atmosphere -
Energy in – Energy out = d(S)/dt – where d(S)/dt is change in the global energy content. The latter obviously changes and therefore the planet is not in equilibrium.
