Question

1. Why do surfaces absorb solar radiation differently?

Answer 1

Solar radiation is form of energy that don't require any medium to travel. The radiation coming from sun and reaches earth. Once it interacts with a matter or any surface, it transfers the radiation energy to the matter and increases its molecular energy of matter. The solar radiation has radiation of mainly shorter wavelength. When this is absorbed by the matter, the electrons and atom in the ground state goes to higher energy state with releasing of some energies. The atomic or molecular properties of matter decides how much radiation to absorb, how much radiation to reflect and how much radiation to emit. So these different surfaces will absorb the solar radiation differently because of their atomic or molecular structure and properties are different.

Before entering into earths atmosphere this radiation is travelling uniformly and ideally but after entering earths atmosphere it gets absorbed differently because of different types of molecules present like water vapour, co2 and many impurities. So, different surfaces absorb solar radiation differently.