Final answer:
Around 50 percent of the solar energy arriving at Earth is absorbed by the surface, having been reduced from 1,360 W/m² at the top of the atmosphere to 240 W/m² averaged over the Earth after reflecting about 29.3%. Half of the absorbed energy contributes to the evaporation in the hydrological cycle.
Step-by-step explanation:
Approximately 50 percent of the solar energy that arrives at Earth is absorbed by its surface. This includes energy in the infrared, visible, and ultraviolet parts of the spectrum. The sun delivers 1,360 W/m² to the top of Earth's atmosphere; of this, around 29.3% is immediately reflected back into space primarily by clouds and snow. Consequently, Earth's surface absorbs the remainder, which is equivalent to 960 W/m² across the projected disk area but is reduced to 240 W/m² when averaged over the total surface area of the planet.
This absorbed energy contributes to various processes, with about half of it driving the evaporation of water—this is a significant component of the hydrological cycle. The balance between absorbed and radiated energy helps to maintain Earth's average temperature.