ABSORPTION AND LOSSES OF SOLAR RADIATION

The amount of heat absorbed by soils is determined primarily by the

quantity of effective solar radiation reaching the earth.
This so called solar radiation represents only part of the total solar
radiation.
The reminder before it reaches the earth, is reflected back into the
atmosphere by clouds, is absorbed by the atmospheric gases, or is scattered
into the atmosphere (Fig. 10:9).
In a relatively cloud-free arid regions as much as 75 percent of the solar
radiation reaches the ground. In contrast, only 35 to 40 percent may reaches
the ground in cloudy humid areas.
In average global figure is about 50 percent
 Some 30 to 45 percent of the radiation energy reaching the earth is
reflected back to the atmosphere or is lost by thermal radiation.
Of that which is not returned to the atmosphere (termed net radiation) up to
about 5 percent is used to energized photosynthesis and metabolic reactions
in plants.
Most of the reminder is utilized to evaporate water from soil and plant
surfaces.
Unless the soil is dried and little energy for vaporatization is required, only
about 5 to 15 percent of the net radiation is commonly stored as heat in the
soil and plant cover.
Factors affecting solar radiation entering the soil
a. Atmosphere
b. The color of the site
c. The slope of the site
d. The vegetative cover of the site, under consideration
 The dark soils will absorb more energy than light-colored ones and that
red and yellow soils will show a more rapid temperature rise than will
those that are white.
 This not imply that dark soils are always warmer. Actually the opposite
may be true since dark soils are usually are high in organic matter and
consequently hold large amount of water, which must also be warmed
and evaporated..
 Observation has shown that the nearer the angle of incidence of the
sun’s rays approaches the perpendicular, the greater will be the
absorption (Fig 10.10).
 Bare soils warm up more quickly and cool off more rapidly than those
covered with vegetation or with artificial mulches (a layer of material
applied to the surface of an area of soil).
 Frost penetration during the winter is considerably greater in bare non-
insulated land.
Specific heat or heat capacity:
Ability to store heat
Amount of heat required to raise temperature of 1 g of substance by 1 degree
C.
Greater the heat capacity of a substance, the more heat it can gain (or lose) per
unit rise (or fall) in temperature.
Soil: 0.2 cal/g Water: 1.0 cal/g

Note: Heat capacity is the amount of heat needed to change the temperature
of a substance by 1 degree Celsius, while specific heat is the heat needed
to change the temperature of 1 gram of substance by 1 degree Celsius.
Whereas Specific heat capacity is dependent on the amount of substance,
heat capacity is independent of it.
Volumetric heat capacity (VHC)
 The ability of a given volume of a substance to store internal energy while
undergoing a given temperature change, but without undergoing a phase
transition.
 It is different from specific heat capacity in that the VHC is a 'per unit
volume' measure of the relationship between thermal energy and
temperature of a material, while the specific heat is a 'per unit mass'
measure.
 If given a specific heat value of a substance, one can convert it to the VHC
by multiplying the specific heat by the density of the substance.
Thermal diffusivity
 It is the thermal conductivity divided by density and specific heat capacity
at constant pressure.
 It measures the rate of transfer of heat of a material from the hot side to the
cold side.
 Thermal diffusivity is usually denoted α but a, κ, K, and D are also used.
 The formula is:

Where
is thermal conductivity (W/(m·K)),
 is density (kg/m³),
 is specific heat capacity (J/(kg·K))
 Together, can be considered the volumetric heat capacity (J/(m³·K)).
 In a substance with high thermal diffusivity, heat moves rapidly through it
because the substance conducts heat quickly relative to its volumetric heat
capacity or 'thermal bulk'.
 Thermal diffusivity is often measured with the flash method. It involves
heating a strip or cylindrical sample with a short energy pulse at one end
and analyzing the temperature change a short distance away.
 Thermal conductivity

Ability to conduct heat

– Affected by:
• moisture
• texture
 1. moisture
• thermal conductivity of water is about two
to three times greater than that of soil.

– In saturated soils, pore spaces filled with

water rather than air

• Wet soils have higher conductivity than dry

 2. texture:
• thermal conductivity of air is about one
hundred times less than that of soil .  

– Finer soils have more particle-to-particle

contact and smaller pore spaces, therefore
increased conductivity.

• Conductivity increases as texture becomes increasingly

fine.
Notice that adding water makes texture have
opposite effect (wet sand higher cond. than
wet clay)
• Texture determines how quickly soil will
heat (in spring) or cool (in fall).

• Sandy soils contain less water (lower

porosity) and therefore heat more quickly
than clay.
Control of soil temperature
 Since crop growth is affected by soil temperature, it is important to know
how to modify this temperature.
 Soils high in water content warm up slowly in the spring and cool down
slowly in the fall. Removal of excess water from the soil will facilitate
more rapid change in soil temperature. Drainage therefore exerts a major
influence on soil temperature.
 Mulch can alter the amount of solar radiation absorbed by the soil, loss of
heat energy from the soil by radiation, infiltration of water, and loss of
water by evaporation.
 Light-colored organic matter mulches reflect a large part of solar radiation,
reduce heat loss by radiation, increase infiltration of water, and reduce
evaporation of water from the surface of the soil. The net effect of light-
colored organic matter mulch is to reduce soil temperature.
 In regions where summer are cool, dark plastic mulch is used to increase
the soil temperature; the higher soil temperature increase crop yield in cold
regions.
 Clear plastic mulch also increase the soil temperature.
 Assignment 4
Explain the following
1. Fick's Law
2. Fourier's law
3. Movement of heat in soil