Energy in Earth’s Atmosphere

Learning Objectives
1. State in what form energy travels from the sun to Earth.
2. Explain what happens to the sun’s energy in the atmosphere and at Earth’s
surface

How Does Energy From the Sun Travel to Earth?

 Nearly all the energy in Earth’s atmosphere comes from the sun.
 This energy travels to Earth as electromagnetic waves, a form of energy that
can move through the vacuum of space.
 Electromagnetic waves can be classified according to wavelength, or distance
between waves.
 Most of the energy from the sun travels to Earth in the form of visible light
and infrared radiation. A small amount arrives as ultraviolet radiation.
 Visible light includes all the colors of the rainbow.
 The different colors you see are the result of different wavelengths.
 The direct transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves is called radiation.
 One form, infrared radiation, has wavelengths longer than red light. It is
invisible to humans but can be felt as heat.
 The sun also gives off ultraviolet radiation, which is an invisible form of energy
with wavelengths shorter than violet light.
What Happens to the Sun’s Energy When It Reaches Earth?
 Some sunlight is absorbed or reflected by the atmosphere before it can
reach the surface. The rest passes through the atmosphere to the surface.
 Different wavelengths of radiation are absorbed by different layers in the
atmosphere.
 Some ultraviolet radiation is absorbed by the ozone layer.
 Infrared radiation passes farther before some is absorbed by water vapor and
carbon dioxide.
 In the troposphere, clouds reflect some sunlight back into space.
 Dust-sized particles and gases in the atmosphere disperse light in all directions
in a process called scattering.
 About 50% of the sun’s energy that reaches Earth’s surface is absorbed. It heats
land and water
 Earth’s surface radiates some energy back into the atmosphere as infrared
radiation.
 Some travels all the way back into space, but much is absorbed by water vapor,
carbon dioxide, and other gases in the atmosphere, heating them.
 These gases hold heat in the atmosphere in a process called the greenhouse
effect.
 The greenhouse effect keeps Earth’s atmosphere at a comfortable temperature.
 But scientists have evidence that human activities may be altering this process.