A. sun no longer shines at night B. atmosphere reflects the sun energy at night C. atmosphere absorbs the suns energy at night D. earth radiates heat to the atmosphere at night
Correct Answer: D
Explanation
The amount of energy that has been taken away or received over a period of time determines how much an object will cool or warm:n object will cool as long as it emits more energy than it absorbs and it will warm as long as it receives more energy than it emits - On a clear day, the sun has warmed the surface during the day and once the sun goes down, the earth surface will begin to cool since energy emitted is greater than energy absorbed. This causes the earth surface to become progressively cool during the night - the earth's surface is not coldest right after sunset or in the middle of the night. It is coldest in the early morning hours by sunrise. This is because cooling is cumulative, the longer an object emits more energy than it receives, the more it will cool.
