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

The correct answer is (c).

High clouds primarily reflect solar radiation and cool the surface of the Earth. This is because high clouds are made up of ice crystals, which are very good at reflecting sunlight. When sunlight hits a high cloud, it is reflected back into space, which prevents it from warming the Earth’s surface.

Low clouds have a high absorption of infrared radiation emanating from the Earth’s surface and thus cause warming effect. This is because low clouds are made up of water droplets, which are very good at absorbing infrared radiation. When infrared radiation hits a low cloud, it is absorbed by the water droplets, which causes the cloud to warm up. The warm cloud then emits its own infrared radiation, which warms the Earth’s surface.

Therefore, both statements are correct.