What feature of clouds allows them to reflect the light and heat of sunlight?

Question

Homework help!!!!

Answer 1

I think the word you are looking for is 'albedo'.

It's the white colour of clouds, it reflects heat and light well.

Answer 2

Clouds are good reflectors of solar radiation.They contain tiny water droplets which act as mirror and reflect the sunlight.

Answer 3

Clouds are made of water vapor, and water is very good at absorbing light radiation, especially in the infrared band.

Most of the ground's heat is emitted in the form of infrared radiation. When there are no clouds overhead, this energy is lost. However, when there are clouds overhead they absorb the infrared radiation, covering the ground with a warm blanket. (Some of the radiation is also reflected back directly to the ground. This also slows heat loss).

Why is water so able to absorb infrared? It has to do with the bond energy between hydrogen and oxygen. The energy in the infrared light is similar to the energy required to excite the bond - in other words, this particular energy is in perfect bite-sized morsels for water molecules.

Incidentally, this is the same reason why microwave ovens work on food. The food contains a lot of water molecules, and the microwave radiation provides just the right frequency of energy to excite the bonds of the water molecules. The food absorbs the energy directly, as opposed to a conventional oven that heats the air first, then allows the hot air to cook the food.

Answer 4

I've gotten the worst sunburn on cloudy days.

Answer 5

The ampunt of moisture they are holding