The transfer of heat from the sun to the earth's surface through electromagnetic waves is known as?

The transfer of heat from the sun to the earth's surface through electromagnetic waves is termed radiation. This process occurs without the need for a medium, meaning that heat energy can travel through the vacuum of space via electromagnetic waves. When sunlight reaches the Earth, it is absorbed by the ground, oceans, and atmosphere, thereby warming the planet.

Conduction, on the other hand, involves heat transfer through direct contact between materials, which is not applicable in the context of heat arriving from the sun. The term solar is too broad and simply refers to anything related to the sun, without specifically addressing the mechanism of heat transfer. Absorption refers to the process by which materials take in light or other forms of energy, but it does not describe the mechanism by which heat is initially transferred from the sun to Earth. Thus, the correct choice effectively defines the phenomenon in question.