Earth absorbs about 71

Question

percent of the heat energy
from the sun. What also
happens to this heat energy?
It is reflected back to
the sun.
It is converted to
electricity.
It is converted to light.
It is refracted back to
the sun

Answer 1

The heat energy absorbed by the Earth from the sun is primarily transformed into various forms of energy and heat. Among the options you provided, the most relevant one is:

• It is reflected back to the sun.

However, it's important to clarify that not all of the heat energy is reflected back. Some of it is absorbed and contributes to warming the Earth's surface, which can then re-radiate heat in the form of infrared radiation. While some portion of solar energy is reflected back into space (about 29%), the majority is absorbed, leading to processes such as evaporation, photosynthesis, and driving weather patterns.

The other options—converting to electricity or light, or refraction—aren't accurate representations of what happens to the majority of solar heat energy absorbed by the planet.