What happens to solar energy when it reaches Earth’s atmosphere quizlet?
What happens to the energy Earth receives from the sun? Some solar energy that reaches Earth's atmosphere is reflected back, some is absorbed by the atmosphere, and some is absorbed by Earth's surface.
What is the fate of solar radiation that reaches the Earth quizlet?
What is the fate of solar radiation that reaches the Earth? Most solar radiation is absorbed by the land and ocean.
What happens with the energy that enters the Earth’s atmosphere and to the surface?
About 23% of incoming energy is absorbed in the atmosphere by atmospheric gases, dust, and other particles. The remaining 48% is absorbed at the surface. (NASA illustration by Robert Simmon.
What happens to the solar energy that does not penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere?
So about 30% of the incoming sunlight is reflected back into space by clouds or light areas on Earth's surface, or scattered back out into space by gas molecules in the atmosphere (that scattering is what makes the sky blue, not black!).
What happens when the sun’s energy is absorbed by Earth’s surface?
Most of Earth's energy comes from the Sun. Shortwave solar radiation that's absorbed by Earth's surface or atmosphere is re-radiated it as longwave, infrared radiation, also known as heat. The more solar radiation is absorbed, the more heat is re-radiated and the temperature of the atmosphere goes up.
How does solar energy interact with Earth’s surface and atmosphere quizlet?
Radiant energy from the Sun heats Earth's surface. Some of that thermal energy is then transferred to gases in the atmospheric by conduction. The heated air molecules that absorb thermal energy tend to spread out and rise away from Earth's surface, distributing the heat energy through convection currents.
What happens to most of the incoming solar energy on Earth quizlet?
Terms in this set (8) Most incoming solar energy is absorbed by Earth's land and water surfaces.
What percentage of solar radiation that reaches Earth’s atmosphere is absorbed by Earth quizlet?
The surface of Earth absorbs approximately 50 percent of the solar energy that enters the top of the atmosphere.
What happens to the energy from the Sun from the moment when it enters the atmosphere up to where it becomes an image on your computer?
Once the sun's energy reaches earth, it is intercepted first by the atmosphere. A small part of the sun's energy is directly absorbed, particularly by certain gases such as ozone and water vapor. Some of the sun's energy is reflected back to space by clouds and the earth's surface.
What happens when energy is absorbed in the atmosphere?
The atmosphere absorbs 23 percent of incoming sunlight while the surface absorbs 48. The atmosphere radiates heat equivalent to 59 percent of incoming sunlight; the surface radiates only 12 percent. In other words, most solar heating happens at the surface, while most radiative cooling happens in the atmosphere.
How does solar energy affect the layers of the atmosphere?
Because sunlight creates ions at that altitude, that layer of the atmosphere is called the ionosphere. Sunlight affects the Earth's atmosphere, but a side-effect is that the atmosphere absorbs this dangerous ultraviolet radiation.
How does the energy from the sun enter the atmosphere?
The sun's radiation strikes the ground, thus warming the rocks. As the rock's temperature rises due to conduction, heat energy is released into the atmosphere, forming a bubble of air which is warmer than the surrounding air. This bubble of air rises into the atmosphere.
How much solar radiation reaches the Earth’s surface?
How much light actually reaches the Earth's surface? Only 56% of the solar radiation that reaches the atmosphere makes it through to earths surface. The sun's radiation must make it through multiple barriers before it reaches Earth's surface.
What happens to solar energy inside the greenhouse?
Solar Energy Everything in greenhouses, including soil and plants, absorbs radiation, contributing to heat production. Growing plants and other items inside the greenhouse convert solar radiation into longer wavelengths that cannot escape through the transparent panes, thus heating the greenhouse even further.
What happens to the solar energy that is absorbed by Earth’s surface?
The absorbed energy is transformed into heat energy. This heat energy plays an important role in regulating the temperature of the earth's crust, surface waters, and lower atmosphere. Every surface on earth absorbs and reflects energy at varying degrees, based on its color and texture.
What happens on the Sun’s energy when it passes through the stratosphere?
A significant portion of the Sun's ultraviolet (high-energy, shortwave) radiation is absorbed by ozone (O3) in the upper atmosphere (the stratosphere). Solar radiation that is reflected back into space by Earth's surface or atmosphere does not add heat to the Earth system. Absorbed radiation is transformed into heat.
How does energy from the Sun travel to Earth and what happens to most of the energy that reaches Earth?
Energy is transferred from the sun to Earth via electromagnetic waves, or radiation. Most of the energy that passes through the upper atmosphere and reaches Earth's surface is in two forms, visible and infrared light.
What happens on the sun’s energy when it passes through the stratosphere?
A significant portion of the Sun's ultraviolet (high-energy, shortwave) radiation is absorbed by ozone (O3) in the upper atmosphere (the stratosphere). Solar radiation that is reflected back into space by Earth's surface or atmosphere does not add heat to the Earth system. Absorbed radiation is transformed into heat.
How is the solar spectrum changed as it passes through the atmosphere?
While the absorption by specific gasses in the atmosphere change the spectral content of the terrestrial solar radiation, they have a relatively minor impact on the overall power. Instead, the major factor reducing the power from solar radiation is the absorption and scattering of light due to air molecules and dust.
How much solar energy is lost in the atmosphere?
The solar energy reaching the outer atmosphere may experience a variety of fates. Thirty percent of all solar energy is lost to space by means of scattering and by reflection off clouds and the earth's surface. Another 19% is absorbed by gases in the atmosphere and by clouds.
What is total amount of solar energy received by Earth and atmosphere?
The Solar Energy Resource
| Solar constant at the distance of the earth from the sun | 1367 W/m2 |
|---|---|
| Total solar energy reaching the earth in a year | 3,400,000 EJ |
| Total solar flux reaching earth | 1.08×108 GW |
| Average solar energy density at earth's surface | 170 W/m2 |
What do you think happens on the sun’s energy when it passes through the stratosphere?
Ozone in the lower part of the atmosphere acts as a greenhouse gas and is a major pollutant. Higher up, in the stratosphere, the ozone layer absorbs solar ultra-violet radiation and affects how much of the Sun's heat is radiated back into space.
What energy changes happen during the greenhouse effect?
Upon absorption, the solar electromagnetic energy is transformed into thermal kinetic energy (i.e., heat or energy of molecular vibration). The warmed atmosphere then reradiates energy in all directions as longer-wavelength (7–14 æm) infrared radiation. Much of this reradiated energy escapes to outer space.
How does the energy from the Sun enter the atmosphere?
The sun's radiation strikes the ground, thus warming the rocks. As the rock's temperature rises due to conduction, heat energy is released into the atmosphere, forming a bubble of air which is warmer than the surrounding air. This bubble of air rises into the atmosphere.
Where does most of the sun’s energy go?
Where does all this energy go? About 15 percent of the sun's energy that hits the earth is reflected back into space. Another 30 percent is used to evaporate water, which, lifted into the atmosphere, produce's rain-fall. Solar energy also is absorbed by plants, the land, and the oceans.
How much of solar energy reaches the Earth?
Thus, about 71 percent of the total incoming solar energy is absorbed by the Earth system. Of the 340 watts per square meter of solar energy that falls on the Earth, 29% is reflected back into space, primarily by clouds, but also by other bright surfaces and the atmosphere itself.
How is energy lost in the atmosphere?
The main process that causes energy loss from the atmosphere is the emission of infrared radiation inward to Earth's surface and outward to space. As you have learned, 96 units of infrared radiation are emitted back from the Atmosphere to Earth.
What will happen as the heat of the sun reaches the Earth surface?
The sun's radiation strikes the ground, thus warming the rocks. As the rock's temperature rises due to conduction, heat energy is released into the atmosphere, forming a bubble of air which is warmer than the surrounding air. This bubble of air rises into the atmosphere.
How does energy from the sun travel to Earth and what happens to most of the energy that reaches Earth?
Energy is transferred from the sun to Earth via electromagnetic waves, or radiation. Most of the energy that passes through the upper atmosphere and reaches Earth's surface is in two forms, visible and infrared light.
What do you think happens on the Sun’s energy when it passes through the stratosphere?
Ozone in the lower part of the atmosphere acts as a greenhouse gas and is a major pollutant. Higher up, in the stratosphere, the ozone layer absorbs solar ultra-violet radiation and affects how much of the Sun's heat is radiated back into space.