When the sun's rays strike Earth's surface, the energy is either absorbed, reflected, or scattered. This energy is essential for driving various processes on Earth, such as warming the surface, powering the water cycle, and enabling photosynthesis in plants.
When the Sun's rays strike Earth's surface, energy is absorbed and converted into heat. This process is responsible for heating the land, oceans, and atmosphere, driving processes such as weather patterns and the water cycle.
The bouncing of light rays is called reflection. When light rays strike a surface and return back in the same direction, it is known as reflection.
When light rays strike a rough surface, they undergo a process called scattering. This causes the light to reflect in many different directions, leading to a diffused reflection. The roughness of the surface disrupts the regular reflection pattern seen on smooth surfaces.
Incident rays are incoming rays of light that strike a surface, while reflected rays are rays of light that bounce off that surface after the collision. The angle at which the incident ray approaches the surface is equal to the angle at which the reflected ray leaves the surface, according to the law of reflection.
The energy from the sun's rays is absorbed by the Earth's surface, oceans, and atmosphere. This energy is then converted into heat, which drives weather patterns, ocean currents, and the growth of plants through photosynthesis.
absorbed
When the Sun's rays strike Earth's surface, energy is absorbed and converted into heat. This process is responsible for heating the land, oceans, and atmosphere, driving processes such as weather patterns and the water cycle.
Absorbed
Absorbed
Oblique
Energy is being absorbed AND being reflected when the sun's ray strike the Earth's surface.
The angle at which the sun's rays strike the Earth's surface affects the intensity of the sunlight spread over a larger or smaller area, impacting the surface temperature. When the sun's rays hit the Earth at a higher angle (closer to perpendicular), the energy is concentrated over a smaller area, leading to higher temperatures. Conversely, when the angle is lower (closer to parallel), the energy is spread over a larger area, resulting in lower temperatures.
Usually, as the angle of incidence of the sun's rays decrease (i.e. when the sun is nearer to the horizon than to the zenith) the temperature decreases.
it decreases... that's why the two poles are the coldest places on earth... however, considering the earth is a sphere the angle you are talking about is relative to the point on earth which you are referring to... therefore, there will always be a point on the earth's surface where the suns rays are hitting at exactly 90 degrees...
Either the answer will be that they contain more solar energy, it strike's the earth at an angle greater than 90 degrees, or it could be that they spread energy over a larger surface area.
The Ozone layer.
Obviously the angle of incidence is different. The oblique rays spread their energy over a larger area of the surface than vertical (also called perpendicular or normal rays)