24 Incoming solar radiation from the Sun starts off at 100 units as it enters our atmosphere. Draw a diagram and explain what happens to the radiation as it travels through atmosphere? Hint (How much radiation gets absorbed, scattered and reflected)?

Earth's atmosphere gets energy from the solar rays in the form of short wave radiation and these are UV rays with 100 units being about 1360 watts of which the albedo of the earth having 35 units reflected directly back to the outer space by the reflectance value.

These include 27 units from clouds and 2 from ice and snow caps of the world. And 6 units by other surface features. Now of these 65 units that are absorbed 14 within the atmosphere and 51 units by earth surface.

These 51 units again reradiate back to space from the terrestrial radiation and 17 units directly to space and 34 being absorbed by terrestrial and plants and soils. And 19 units by the latent heat of condensation and 9 units by the turbulences.

Thus, absorption of 48 units by the air is finally reradiated to space by the earth by terrestrial radiation. And the remaining 65 units are being absorbed. (17 by ground and 48 unit by air). thus the constituents of natural gases like the methane, carbon and water vapor termed as the greenhouse effect and hence the remaining 6 % are absorbed by these gases.