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The Earth receives 174 petawatts [See Link] of incoming solar radiation (insolation) at the upper atmosphere. Approximately 30% is reflected back to space while the rest is absorbed by clouds, oceans and land masses. For a pictorial description of insolation losses [See Link]
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Vivi
CoachNo, not half of the Sun's energy is absorbed by Earth's surface. A small fraction of the Sun's total energy output reaches Earth, with most of it being reflected back into space or absorbed by the atmosphere. The amount that actually reaches and warms the Earth's surface is a relatively small portion of the Sun's total energy output.
If you're talking about half of the total of the sun's energy, the answer is no. By far, most of the suns energy misses the earth completely because it goes out in every direction, not just toward the earth. If the earth absorbed half of all that energy it would probably melt.
If you're talking about half of the energy that actually touches the earth or its atmosphere, I'm trying to find that out myself... :)
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How much radiation is absorbed by the earths surface?
The amount of radiation absorbed by the Earth's surface varies depending on factors such as location, time of day, and cloud cover. On average, about half of the solar radiation that reaches the Earth's atmosphere is absorbed by the surface, where it is then transformed into heat energy.
What Half of earths surface is called?
The half of the Earth's surface facing away from the Sun is called the "night side" while the half facing the Sun is called the "day side."
What happens to solar energy as it enters the atmosphere?
About half of it is absorbed, reflected, or scattered within the atmosphere. The remainder reaches the earth, where it heats it. This radiation emitted by the earth heats the lower atmosphere and generates the earth's weather.A:Some is absorbed to make ozone (UV-C and more energetic), some is absorbed to break ozone back down (UV-B and more energetic). Some is absorbed and radiated back to space (infrared and less energetic) or captured by greenhouse gases. Lots of it is passed down to Earth's surface (UV-A thru the near infrared).
How does the angle of light affect the temperature of a surface?
The angle of light affects the temperature of a surface by influencing the amount of solar energy that is absorbed. When light strikes a surface at a steep angle, it is more concentrated, leading to higher temperatures. Conversely, when light strikes at a shallow angle, it is more spread out, resulting in lower temperatures.
The lower atmosphere is directly warmed from?
The lower atmosphere is directly warmed from solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface, which is then absorbed and re-emitted as heat. This process is known as the greenhouse effect and helps to regulate the Earth's temperature to support life.
