Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 4 — Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

This question tests understanding of atmospheric heating mechanisms and the greenhouse effect. Statement-I incorrectly suggests that incoming solar radiation heats the atmosphere more than terrestrial radiation, while Statement-II correctly describes the greenhouse gas absorption properties.

❌ Statement-I – Incorrect: The atmosphere is heated more by terrestrial (long wave) radiation than by incoming solar (short wave) radiation. Solar radiation mostly passes through the atmosphere without being absorbed, whereas the Earth's surface absorbs solar energy and re-radiates it as long wave radiation, which is then absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, heating it.

✅ Statement-II – Correct: Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are indeed good absorbers of long wave (infrared) radiation emitted by the Earth's surface, which is the fundamental principle of the greenhouse effect.

📝 Short Notes: Atmospheric Heating and Earth's Heat Budget

• Insolation: Incoming solar radiation reaches Earth in short waves (0.2 to 4 micrometers). Most of it passes through the atmosphere with minimal absorption.
• Terrestrial Radiation: Earth's surface absorbs solar energy and re-radiates it as long wave infrared radiation (4 to 80 micrometers).
• Atmospheric Heating: The atmosphere is largely transparent to incoming short wave solar radiation but opaque to outgoing long wave terrestrial radiation due to greenhouse gases.
• Greenhouse Effect: CO₂, water vapor, methane, and other greenhouse gases absorb long wave radiation, warming the lower atmosphere. This is why the atmosphere is heated more from below (by terrestrial radiation) than from above (by solar radiation).
• Heat Budget Components: Of the solar radiation reaching Earth, approximately 35% is reflected back, 14% is absorbed by the atmosphere, and 51% is absorbed by the Earth's surface. The surface then heats the atmosphere through radiation, conduction, and convection.
• Albedo Effect: About 30% of incoming solar radiation is reflected by clouds, atmospheric particles, and the Earth's surface without heating the atmosphere significantly.