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How much of the sun's energy is absorbed or reflected by clouds?
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
Yes, about 26% of incoming solar radiation is reflected back into space by the clouds and atmosphere.
- Incoming solar radiation: 100%
- Reflected by the atmosphere: 6% : Absorbed by the atmosphere: 16%
- Continuing incoming solar radiation: 78%
- Reflected by clouds: 20% : Absorbed by clouds: 3%
- Continuing incoming solar radiation: 55%
- Reflected by the earth's surface: 4% : Absorbed by the earth's surface (lands and oceans): 51%
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoOn the average, only 20 percent of the Sun's energy that is intercepted by Earth is absorbed by the atmosphere and clouds. Most of the solar energy absorbed by planet earth and its atmosphere is absorbed by the earth's surface.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoClouds are white and white is a color that reflects so when sunlight and solar radiation hits the clouds, a lot of it is reflected, some of it is actually absorbed by the cloud and the rest comes down to the surface (hence why generally it is cooler with more cloud cover)
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoIt is more complicated than that. The Sun gives off allot of energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation (part of which is visible light). Clouds are made of small droplets of water vapour and part of this radiation is indeed reflected by the clouds, thus the more clouds there are, the more of the Sun's energy is reflected (ice or snow does the same). However, in other wave lengths of the electromagnetic spectrum energy is absorbed by water. For instance at night as the Earth tries to cool (after being warmed by the Sun in the day), a cloud cover will reflect back the outgoing heat radiation. This is why frosty nights are clear nights.
Thus it is true to say clouds reflect heat, but the effect of clouds/water on Earth's energy balance is complicated.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoThey both reflect sunlight, and they send more heat back to the surface than otherwise would occur. The net effect varies with the type of cloud, time of day, region, time of year, thickness of clouds....
Clouds are extraordinarily complicated. It is an ongoing area of intense research in climate and atmospheric science.
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoOf the incoming solar radiation, about 3% is absorbed by clouds.
- Incoming solar radiation: 100%
- Reflected by the atmosphere: 6% : Absorbed by the atmosphere: 16%
- Continuing incoming solar radiation: 78%
- Reflected by clouds: 20% : Absorbed by clouds: 3%
- Continuing incoming solar radiation: 55%
- Reflected by the earth's surface: 4% : Absorbed by the earth's surface (lands and oceans): 51%
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoOf the incoming solar radiation 20% is reflected by clouds.
- Incoming solar radiation: 100%
- Reflected by the atmosphere: 6% : Absorbed by the atmosphere: 16%
- Continuing incoming solar radiation: 78%
- Reflected by clouds: 20% : Absorbed by clouds: 3%
- Continuing incoming solar radiation: 55%
- Reflected by the earth's surface: 4% : Absorbed by the earth's surface (lands and oceans): 51%
Wiki User
∙ 11y agowater vapor, clouds and less visible moisture, trap solar heat close to the earth's surface. It is the leading greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoYes. About 20% of solar energy is reflected by clouds.
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago45%
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How much solar energy is absorbed and how much is reflected from the earth's surface?
At the earth's surface about 51% of incoming solar radiation is absorbed, and 4% is reflected back into space.Incoming solar radiation: 100%Reflected by the atmosphere: 6% : Absorbed by the atmosphere: 16%Continuing incoming solar radiation: 78%Reflected by clouds: 20% : Absorbed by clouds: 3%Continuing incoming solar radiation: 55%Reflected by the earth's surface: 4% : Absorbed by the earth's surface (lands and oceans): 51%
How much amount of solar energy absorbed by a solar panel?
more than 2%
Can light energy be absorbed on a cloudy day?
Sure. There just isn't quite as much light energy on a cloudy day.
The amount of energy absorbed by a vehicle in an impact is realted to what?
Absorbed might be a poor word as a vehicle can only absorb so much energy, some will change the direction of movement, and so on.The things we need to look at are:the speed of the impact (this is the answer you are looking for)The speed and direction of the vehicle after impactThe difference is the energy absorbed.
Does light stop when it meets a solid object?
Some of it is absorbed, some is reflected, and some passes through. How much of each effect happens depends on the wavelength of the light and the composition of the object.
How much of suns energy is absorbed or reflected by clouds?
45%
How much solar energy is reflected by the atmosphere and earth's surface?
About 6% of incoming solar radiation is reflected back into space from the atmosphere and 4% by the surface of the earth.Incoming solar radiation: 100%Reflected by the atmosphere: 6% : Absorbed by the atmosphere: 16%Continuing incoming solar radiation: 78%Reflected by clouds: 20% : Absorbed by clouds: 3%Continuing incoming solar radiation: 55%Reflected by the earth's surface: 4% : Absorbed by the earth's surface (lands and oceans): 51%
How much of the Sun's radiant energy is reflected by clouds or scattered by the atmosphere?
27%
Is energy absorbed or reflected by earth?
The solar energy that reaches the Earth is called insolation.Of the incoming solar radiation 16% is absorbed by the earth's atmosphere, 3%is absorbed by clouds and 51%is absorbed by the earth's surface, making a total of 70%.
How much solar energy is reflected by clouds and other particles?
About 19% of incoming solar radiation is absorbed by clouds and the atmosphere.Incoming solar radiation: 100%Reflected by the atmosphere: 6% : Absorbed by the atmosphere: 16%Continuing incoming solar radiation: 78%Reflected by clouds: 20% : Absorbed by clouds: 3%Continuing incoming solar radiation: 55%Reflected by the earth's surface: 4% : Absorbed by the earth's surface (lands and oceans): 51%Source: (NASA)
How much of the Sun energy is absorbed by the Earth's surface?
AnswerApproximately 120,000 TW (terrawatts)That is 120000000000000000 joules per second!More energy hits the Earth from the Sun in one hour that the whole world uses all year.(The world uses 15 terrawatts of power per year.)
How much solar energy is absorbed and how much is reflected from the earth's surface?
At the earth's surface about 51% of incoming solar radiation is absorbed, and 4% is reflected back into space.Incoming solar radiation: 100%Reflected by the atmosphere: 6% : Absorbed by the atmosphere: 16%Continuing incoming solar radiation: 78%Reflected by clouds: 20% : Absorbed by clouds: 3%Continuing incoming solar radiation: 55%Reflected by the earth's surface: 4% : Absorbed by the earth's surface (lands and oceans): 51%
How much of solar energy that falls on the leaves of a plant is converted to chemical energy by photosynthesis?
About 50 percent of the Sun's incoming energy is absorbed by the Earth's surface. In addition, about 9 percent is reflected.About 22 percent of the Sun's incoming energy is reflected by clouds and the atmosphere.About 19 percent of the Sun's incoming energy is absorbed by clouds and the atmosphere.
What happens to solar radiation that is not reflected back into the atmosphere?
Some is absorbed by the atmosphereSome is absorbed by clouds and particles in the atmosphereThe rest reaches and warms the surface of the earth.This warmth rises from the surface as infrared energy. Much of it is captured by the ever-increasing levels of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and methane). This increasing warmth is happening globally, global warming.
How much solar energy is reflected back into space?
About 30% of incoming solar radiation is reflected back into space.Incoming solar radiation: 100%Reflected by the atmosphere: 6% : Absorbed by the atmosphere: 16%Continuing incoming solar radiation: 78%Reflected by clouds: 20% : Absorbed by clouds: 3%Continuing incoming solar radiation: 55%Reflected by the earth's surface: 4% : Absorbed by the earth's surface (lands and oceans): 51%(Source: NASA. see link below)A:Scientists use the term albedo to describe the percentage of solar radiation reflected back into space by an object or surface. A perfectly black surface has an albedo of 0 (all radiation is absorbed).A perfectly mirror-finished surface has an albedo of 1.0 (all radiation is reflected).Earth's average albedo is about 0.3. In other words, about 30 percent of incoming solar radiation is reflected back into space (from land, sea, clouds, ice and atmosphere) and 70 percent is absorbed.From point to point on the Earth's surface, the albedo varies; high for clouds or snow, low for cities and paved areas, intermediate for vegetation. Overall, averaging the bright areas with the cities, the Earth's albedo is about 0.3 or perhaps just a little higher; 0.34 or so.Well, all of it is not. Some of it is absorbed by the oceans, some by dry land, and some by the ice caps.
How much more solar energy is absorbed by air than is reflected by air?
Backscattered of air would reduce 8% of solar intake, 19% is absorbed by air due to presence of aerosol, CO2 and water vapour.
How does light enter a plant?
Light simply goes through and is absorbed. Most colors are absorbed and some are reflected because they are not used as much. Same thing happens to us, except we can't use light as energy.
