Earth absorbs about 61 percent of the heat energy from the sun. What also happens to this heat energy?
A: it is reflected back to the sun.
B: it is converted to electricity,
C: it is refracted back to the sun.
D: it is converted to light.
A: it is reflected back to the sun.
I don’t know if that’s right are you sure?
I apologize for the confusion. The correct answer should be:
A: it is reflected back to the sun.
The Earth reflects some of the incoming solar radiation back into space, while the rest is absorbed by the atmosphere, land, and oceans, contributing to various processes such as heating the atmosphere, driving weather patterns, and powering various Earth systems.
To determine what happens to the remaining 39 percent of the heat energy from the sun, we can think about the processes that occur when sunlight reaches the Earth's surface.
The correct answer is A: it is reflected back to the sun.
When sunlight reaches the Earth, some of the heat energy is absorbed by the Earth's surface, which warms up the land, water, and atmosphere. However, not all of the heat energy is absorbed. A significant portion is reflected back into space by various processes:
1. Reflection: Some of the heat energy is reflected directly back to space by shiny surfaces like ice caps, clouds, and some types of land cover (such as snow-covered areas or deserts).
2. Scattering: Another portion of the heat energy is scattered in different directions by particles in the atmosphere, such as dust, water droplets, or gas molecules. This scattering can change the path of the energy, redirecting it away from the Earth's surface.
3. Absorption and re-radiation: Some of the heat energy is absorbed by gases in the Earth's atmosphere, like carbon dioxide and water vapor. These gases then re-radiate a portion of that energy in all directions, including back towards space.
It's important to note that the reflected heat energy does not directly convert to other forms like electricity or light. Instead, it is redirected away from the Earth, helping to regulate the planet's temperature and maintain a balance between incoming and outgoing energy.