Question

the energy from sunlight is called solar radiation. after reaching earth’s atmosphere, incoming solar radiation can take different pathways. some radiation is absorbed or reflected by clouds or particles in the air. the rest continues to earth’s surface, where it is either reflected by bright surfaces, such as snow and ice, or absorbed. this diagram shows what percentage of incoming solar radiation travels through each of these pathways.

diagram of solar radiation pathways: 26% reflected by atmosphere and clouds, 19% absorbed by atmosphere and clouds, 51% absorbed by earth’s surface (partially visible text), and other paths

based on the diagram, which of the following describe the possible paths of incoming solar radiation once it has reached earth’s atmosphere? select all of the true statements.

• all incoming solar radiation is either reflected or absorbed by earth’s surface.
• more than half of incoming solar radiation reaches earth’s surface.
• between two and three times as much incoming solar radiation is absorbed by earth’s surface as is absorbed by the atmosphere and clouds.
• more than five times as much incoming solar radiation is reflected by the atmosphere and clouds as by earth’s surface. (partially visible)

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze the first statement

The diagram shows that some radiation is reflected or absorbed by the atmosphere/clouds (26% reflected, 19% absorbed), so not all radiation is reflected or absorbed by Earth’s surface. So the first statement is false.

Step2: Analyze the second statement

First, calculate the percentage reaching Earth’s surface. Total radiation: let's assume 100% incoming. Radiation reflected by atmosphere/clouds: 26%, absorbed by atmosphere/clouds: 19%. So radiation reaching surface: \(100 - 26 - 19=55\%\). 55% is more than half (50%), so this statement is true.

Step3: Analyze the third statement

Absorbed by Earth’s surface: 51% (from diagram, assuming typo in step 2, maybe 51%? Wait, the diagram says "51% absorbed by Earth’s surface"? Wait, the user's diagram: "26% reflected by atmosphere and clouds", "19% absorbed by atmosphere and clouds", and "51% absorbed by Earth’s surface"? Wait, maybe my step 2 was wrong. Let's recalculate: 26 (reflected) + 19 (absorbed by atmosphere) + 51 (absorbed by surface) = 96? Wait, maybe the total is 100. So 26 + 19 + 51 = 96? Maybe a typo, but let's use the given numbers. Absorbed by surface: 51%, absorbed by atmosphere: 19%. \(51\div19\approx2.68\), which is between 2 and 3. So this statement is true.

Step4: Analyze the fourth statement (partially visible)

Reflected by atmosphere/clouds: 26%, reflected by Earth’s surface: let's see, total reflected: 26% (atmosphere) + reflected by surface. Wait, the diagram says "reflected by bright surfaces, such as snow and ice, or absorbed" at surface. Wait, the fourth statement: "More than five times as much incoming solar radiation is reflected by the atmosphere and clouds as by Earth’s surface." Let's find reflected by surface. Total reflected: 26% (atmosphere) + \(R\) (surface). Total absorbed: 19 (atmosphere) + 51 (surface) = 70. So reflected total: 100 - 70 = 30. So \(R = 30 - 26 = 4\). Then \(26\div4 = 6.5\), which is more than 5. But wait, maybe the diagram's numbers: if absorbed by surface is 51, absorbed by atmosphere 19, reflected by atmosphere 26, then reflected by surface is \(100 - 26 - 19 - 51 = 4\). So 26 (atmosphere reflection) vs 4 (surface reflection): \(26\div4 = 6.5>5\), so this statement is true? Wait, but let's check the original problem's fourth statement (partially visible). But based on the visible part, if it's "More than five times as much incoming solar radiation is reflected by the atmosphere and clouds as by Earth’s surface", then 26 vs 4: 26/4=6.5>5, so true. But maybe the user's diagram has different numbers. However, based on the given, the second and third (and maybe fourth) are true. But let's focus on the visible statements.

Answer:

The true statements are: "More than half of incoming solar radiation reaches Earth’s surface" and "Between two and three times as much incoming solar radiation is absorbed by Earth’s surface as is absorbed by the atmosphere and clouds" (and the fourth if visible part is as above). But based on the steps, the second and third (and fourth) are true. However, due to partial visibility, but from the visible, the second (more than half: 55% or 51% is more than 50%) and third (51/19≈2.68) are true.