The Sun's radiation largely passes through the Earth's atmosphere until it is reflected from clouds or snow covered ground. The radiation is absorbed in the land, oceans and other bodies of water, and plants where it agitates the molecules causing them to vibrate, or move faster, which is measured by their increase in temperature.
Much of the energy is re-radiated in the form of lower frequency heat radiation which warms the air and may be reflected back down from clouds or escape back into space.
Additional energy also escapes the Sun's gravitational pull in the form of ionized particles and free electrons. Created in the Sun's atmosphere, and known as the solar wind, these particles are mainly positively charged protons and helium nuclei (alpha particles) and negatively charged electrons. The particles are ionized as some or all of their electrons are stripped from the atoms in the Sun's outer atmosphere (corona). These are then accelerated above the Sun's escape velocity, by magnetic fields, or impacts with other particles, and ejected into space.
The solar wind is generally most intense during periods of high solar activity, like coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar flares, which can launch large numbers of charged particles into space.
At sea level, under clear sky conditions, at the equator, the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth's surface is about 1,000 watts per square metre (W/m²) on average. But this number can vary significantly with the location, time of day, time of year, latitude, cloud cover, air pollution, weather conditions and local terrain.
Locations near the equator receive more solar radiation per square metre than those at higher latitudes. The amount of solar energy at the Earth's surface can range from a few hundred Watts per square metre (W/m2) in cloudy or shaded locations, to several thousand in sunny locations at the equator.
Above the Arctic Circle, the Sun can deliver up to 400 W/m2 during the summer months when the Arctic experiences continuous daylight. But, during the winter months, the Sun may not rise above the horizon and so may deliver very little or no solar energy, especially where there is cloud cover and snow or ice that reflects radiation into space. This also applies in the Antarctic Circle during its winter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFxpJkMXhwg Atmosphere ocean current
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Non-FictionThe eruption of Tonga's underwater volcano, in January 2022, vaporized 150 million tons of seawater and shot a geyser of super heated steam through the stratosphere. The water vapour, a strong greenhouse gas, may increase global temperatures for at...
