What happens to the sunlight that falls on earth?

Answer 1

The heat that reaches the Earth is absorbed by the ground and then radiated back out to the atmosphere. Some of the heat escapes and goes back into space but some of it does not go through and 'bounces' back. This is because of pollution. This is the main cause of global warming. But the heat energy is absorbed by plants, animals, the ground, and of course us :)

Answer 2

Some of the light from the Sun bounces off the Earth. The Earth's "albedo", or reflectivity, is about 30%, meaning that 30% of all the light that hits the Earth bounces off. Snow and clouds reflect more, while forests and oceans reflect less.

Of the 70% of the light that is absorbed most of it is re-radiated away. On clear nights, it gets much colder than on cloudy nights; the difference is that the heat is radiated into space through clear air, while clouds trap the heat and keep the surface warmer.

A small fraction of the energy is absorbed in plants, and used to convert dirt and fertilizer into plant matter. When you burn wood, the heat and light from the fire are stored solar energy. If you eat corn or wheat, you're EATING solar energy, and if you eat a hamburger, you're eating an animal that ate the solar energy. Coal, oil and natural gas are just decayed plant and animal matter compressed over long periods of time; so your car that runs on gasoline is actually burning solar energy from the age of the dinosaurs.

A little of the Sun's energy goes into evaporating water from lakes and oceans. The water vapor forms clouds, the clouds produce rain, and some of the rain irrigates the land, providing water for those plants that we eat, or burn. Of course, when there are more clouds, there is more light REFLECTED, so there's a balance; more light on the oceans means more evaporation which means more clouds which means LESS light on the oceans.

Answer 3

There are two possibilities. Either the light bounces off, reflected from clouds or snow or water, or it is absorbed by dirt, rocks, plants or water.

(How can water be in both categories? Light comes through the water and is absorbed if it comes straight down, and is reflected if it comes in at an angle. Think about it. ) The absorbed light is sometimes re-radiated as heat, or can be absorbed and stored as plant foliage. In most cases, the heat becomes part of the solar energy balance of the Earth.

Remember that ALL energy is solar energy; there is no other kind.

Answer 4

It depends on what the sunlight hits. If it hits clouds, snow or ice, most of it bounces back into space. For other areas, an average of 35% is immediately reflected back into space.

If the light hits plants, then the plants absorb some of the light and provide energy to the plant. Depending on the plant, sometimes we eat the plants, and sometimes other animals eat the plants, and sometimes the solar energy bound up in the plant is absorbed into the soil.

If the light hits a body of water - an ocean, lake or river - then some of the energy is absorbed by the water and causes the water to evaporate, changing from liquid into vapor. Some of the water vapor forms clouds, and the water eventually condenses into rain or snow, and falls on the ground. Some of the water helps the plants to grow, and some of it runs downhill and flows into rivers. If the river has a hydroelectric dam, then the solar energy from the water vapor is turned into electricity.

Answer 5

Earth uses heat to worm itself.

Thats what happens to the energy.

Oh! Earth can also use that energy to grow plants bigger and grass greener..

Answer 6

You asked difficult. It is said that if Sun's rays fall on earth and when it reach inside (only when Earth's magnetic field decreases the energy of sun make it becomes like mars ) there will be no communication, no water, the energy we get is more than when all booms like heroshima nakasaki bursted in all one time. THATS WILL NOT BE WORLDS END 100%

Answer 7

1.the sunlight energy converts into differnt forms of energy ..such as heat energy...... its temprature helps to kill harmpful bacteria........ etc 2.harmful raise from sun traped by earths atm...

Answer 8

As the sun's rays heat up the earth, the radiation hits the atmosphere. Then the radiation heads back to the sun.

Answer 9

The sun's rays that reach the earth, some are absorbed by the earth atmosphere, and and oceans and some are reflected back into space.

Answer 10

At the center of the sun nuclear fusion takes place,hydrogen fuses together and helium is formed.