How does solar heating cause sublimation?

Solar heating causes sublimation by giving ice or snow enough energy to turn directly into gas, skipping the liquid stage.

Imagine you're playing outside on a really hot day, your ice cream starts melting. But if it's super hot and there's not much wind, sometimes that melted ice cream just disappears into the air instead of puddling on the ground. That’s like sublimation!

Solar heating is like a giant, warm hand giving energy to ice or snow.

• When the sun shines on ice or snow, it warms them up.
• The heat makes the molecules move faster and spread out more.
• If there's not enough moisture in the air or if it’s really cold, the ice can skip turning into water and go straight to gas, that’s sublimation!

Think about a snowman on a sunny day. If it gets warm enough, the snow might start to disappear instead of melting into puddles. That's sublimation in action!