Consider the following statements:
1. High clouds primarily reflect solar radiation and cool the surface of the Earth.
2. Low clouds have a high absorption of infrared radiation emanating from the Earth's surface and thus cause warming effect.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

APEDIA

UPSC Prelims

2022 • 05 Jun, 2022 • Paper-1

Consider the following statements:
1. High clouds primarily reflect solar radiation and cool the surface of the Earth.
2. Low clouds have a high absorption of infrared radiation emanating from the Earth's surface and thus cause warming effect.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Cloud Physics Analysis: Statement 1 is incorrect. High-altitude clouds are characteristically thin and largely transparent to incoming sunlight, but they are hi......

💡 Analysis & Explanation

Cloud Physics Analysis ▼

Statement 1 is incorrect. High-altitude clouds are characteristically thin and largely transparent to incoming sunlight, but they are highly effective at trapping outgoing infrared radiation, leading to a net atmospheric warming effect.

Altitude Effect ▼

Statement 2 is incorrect. Low-altitude clouds are dense and opaque, meaning their primary mechanism is aggressively reflecting massive amounts of incoming solar radiation back into space, creating a dominant cooling effect.

Conclusion ▼

Both statements inversely describe the actual thermal properties of atmospheric clouds.

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Consider the following statements:1. High clouds primarily reflect solar radiation and cool the surface of the Earth.2. Low clouds have a high absorption of infrared radiation emanating from the Earth's surface and thus cause warming effect.Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements:
1. High clouds primarily reflect solar radiation and cool the surface of the Earth.
2. Low clouds have a high absorption of infrared radiation emanating from the Earth's surface and thus cause warming effect.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?