How does the atmosphere reflect solar radiation?
The Earth absorbs most of the energy reaching its surface, a small fraction is reflected. In total approximately 70% of incoming radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere and the Earth’s surface while around 30% is reflected back to space and does not heat the surface.
What does an insolation map show?
These maps show where and how much sunlight fell on Earth’s surface during the time period indicated. Scientists call this measure solar insolation. Knowing how much of the Sun’s energy reaches the surface helps scientists understand weather and climate patterns as well as patterns of plant growth around our world.
How does the atmosphere reflect energy?
Energy released from the Sun is emitted as shortwave light and ultraviolet energy. When it reaches the Earth, some is reflected back to space by clouds, some is absorbed by the atmosphere, and some is absorbed at the Earth’s surface.
How do you measure solar radiation?
The measurements are taken using either a pyranometer (measuring global radiation) and/or a pyrheliometer (measuring direct radiation). In well established locations, these data have been collected for more than forty years.
What is reflected solar radiation?
Reflection of solar radiation occurs when the radiation is sent directly backward from a surface. The fraction (or percentage) of radiation reflected back is known as albedo.
What percentage of solar radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere?
In all, an estimated 6 percent of incoming solar radiation is reflected back into space by the atmosphere, 51 percent is absorbed at the Earth’s surface (where 4 percent of it is reflected back), while 39 percent is either reflected or absorbed by clouds.
Do clouds reflect solar radiation?
Low, thick clouds primarily reflect solar radiation and cool the surface of the Earth. High, thin clouds primarily transmit incoming solar radiation; at the same time, they trap some of the outgoing infrared radiation emitted by the Earth and radiate it back downward, thereby warming the surface of the Earth.
What type of radiation does Earth reflects back?
Earth’s surface also reflects some infrared radiation back into the air. This reflected radiation can be trapped and absorbed by gases in the atmosphere, or re-radiated back to the Earth 25. This process is called the greenhouse effect.
Does the atmosphere or the Earth reflect more of the incoming solar energy?
The atmosphere absorbs 23 percent of incoming sunlight while the surface absorbs 48. The atmosphere radiates heat equivalent to 59 percent of incoming sunlight; the surface radiates only 12 percent. In other words, most solar heating happens at the surface, while most radiative cooling happens in the atmosphere.
What happens to solar radiation reaching the top of the atmosphere?
About 29 percent of the solar energy that arrives at the top of the atmosphere is reflected back to space by clouds, atmospheric particles, or bright ground surfaces like sea ice and snow.
Is 61 a good sun number?
It’s best to have a building score no lower than 50, and above 60 is considered a great score for the solar power potential of your home. The more area your roof has to support and install solar panels, the better, and the direction your roof faces is important, too.
What is solar pyranometer?
A pyranometer is a sensor that converts the global solar radiation it receives into an electrical signal that can be measured. Pyranometers measure a portion of the solar spectrum. As an example, the CMP21 Pyranometer measures wavelengths from 0.285 to 2.8 µm.
Why do clouds reflect the most radiation?
Because a cloud usually has a higher albedo than the surface beneath it, the cloud reflects more shortwave radiation back to space than the surface would in the absence of the cloud, thus leaving less solar energy available to heat the surface and atmosphere.
How much solar radiation Do clouds reflect?
about 50 W m-2
Clouds reflect about 50 W m-2 of solar radiation up into space, and radiate about 30 W m-2 down to the ground, so the net effect is 20 W m-2 cooling on average.