Consider the following statements: 1. High clouds primarily reflect solar radiation and cool the surface of the Earth. 2. Low clouds have a high absorption of infrared radiation emanating from the Earth's surface and thus cause warming effect. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Both statements are incorrect. Statement 1 is incorrect: High clouds, such as cirrus clouds, are thin and semi-transparent. Their primary effect is trapping outgoing longwave (infrared) radiation from the Earth's surface, which causes a net warming effect — not cooling. While they do reflect some solar radiation, their warming effect from trapping infrared radiation far outweighs any cooling from reflection. Statement 2 is incorrect: Low clouds, such as stratus and stratocumulus clouds, are thick and opaque with a high albedo (reflectivity). Their primary effect is reflecting incoming solar radiation back to space, which causes a net cooling effect — not warming. While they do absorb some infrared radiation, their dominant impact on Earth's energy balance is cooling through solar reflection. In summary: high clouds primarily warm (by trapping IR), and low clouds primarily cool (by reflecting sunlight). Both statements describe the opposite of what actually happens, so neither is correct.