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The review questions are provided as an aid in studying. They are similar to the questions that will appear on quizzes during the semester.
Why doesn't the maximum surface temperature occur when the incoming solar radiation is most intense?
Answer
The incoming solar radiation causes an increase in surface temperature. At midday, the amount of radiation reaching the ground still exceeds the amount of heat radiated away or lost to the atmosphere, so the ground and the air above it is still heating up. Not until midafternoon has the solar radiation decreased enough that the heat lost from the ground exceeds the energy input from the Sun and the ground can finally begin to cool off.
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