What happens to energy that doesnt reach Earths surface?

Answer 1

Sunlight that isn't absorbed (via water, ground, or plant life) is reflected back into the atmosphere. Most of this occurs on the ice caps, because the white ice is highly reflective.

Due to global warming, the ice caps are melting, which means there is more surface area of dark sea water to absorb heat from the sun. This warms the oceans and causes the ice to melt even faster.

Answer 2

Generally this reaches the Earth's surface and then may either be absorbed / reflected by the Earth's surface itself. Additionally if radiation is not absorbed by the gases in the atmosphere it may actually be reflected by the liquid or solid particles in the atmosphere - aerosols. Aerosols are a suspension of solid or liquid particles (often millionths of a metre in diameter) that are suprisingly abundant in the Earth's atmosphere. There particles may add to the absorption by gases or, often, reflect the radiation back out into space. Additionally reflection by clouds can occur (from both directions - hence why at night it is warmer with cloud cover than without - radiation can be reflected from 'space' back out into space - or can be reflected from the Earth's surface back down to Earth)

Answer 3

Most of the Sun's energy that reaches the Surface is visible light.

Some of it is reflected right back into space, some of it heats up the planet and a really small part is used by organisms like plants and algae to live and multiply.

Eventually all of it is radiated back into space in the form of heat (= infrared light).

Answer 4

It goes somewhere else. Specifically, assuming you mean energy radiated by the Sun, most of it goes out to space and just continues going on - never hitting anything.

The energy not reaching the surface is either reflected or absorbed by the atmosphere, including clouds.

In fact, about 42% of the Sun's energy doesn't reach the Earth's surface.

Answer 5

what happens is, it wont get sunlight & what ever is living there wont get sunlight to grow & live, so it'll die.

Answer 6

Answer:

The rest passes through the atmosphere where it warms the Earth's surface. A small amount (7%) is reflected by ice and oceans.

Answer 7

It transfers into heat energy and/or electrical energy.