Mon Prof Augmenté
Where Sunlight Goes on Earth
Age 16 · Science
About 30% of the sunlight reaching Earth is reflected straight back to space, mostly by bright clouds; this fraction is called the albedo. The other 70% is absorbed by the air, the land and the oceans, and that absorbed energy warms the planet.
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Age 16: open this week
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In the picture
- Cloud tops: the main reflectors, sending sunlight back to space
- Polar ice: a bright surface that also reflects sunlight
- Ocean and land: absorb most of the sunlight and warm up
- Atmosphere: the air absorbs part of the sunlight as it passes through
Examples
- A white T-shirt stays cooler in the sun than a black one because it reflects more light.
- Fresh snow is so bright in sunshine that skiers wear sunglasses.
Key takeaways
- Earth’s albedo is about 0.3: roughly 30% of sunlight is reflected, mainly by clouds.
- About 70% is absorbed, and most of it is absorbed at the surface by oceans and land.
Quiz: Where Sunlight Goes on Earth (Age 16)
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Earth’s albedo is the fraction of incoming sunlight reflected straight back to space. About how big is it?
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What reflects most of the sunlight that Earth sends back to space?
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Of the sunlight Earth absorbs, where is most of it absorbed?
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