Electromagnetic waves, ultraviolet and infrared
The earth is surrounded by layers of gases called the atmosphere. Some wavelengths of electromagnetic waves arriving from space are absorbed by the atmosphere and never reach the surface of our planet. Take a look at the following diagram. The earth's atmosphere absorbs the majority of ultraviolet, X-, and gamma rays, which are all shorter wavelengths than visible light. Fortunately, the atmosphere protects life on earth. Long-wavelength radio waves and infrared rays also do not reach the surface. The electromagnetic waves we can generally observe on the ground consist of visible light, which is difficult for the atmosphere to absorb, near-infrared rays, and some electromagnetic waves. Some of this incoming radiation is reflected off clouds, some is absorbed by the atmosphere, and some passes through to the Earth's surface. Larger aerosol particles in the atmosphere interact with and absorb some of the radiation, causing the atmosphere to warm. GREENHOUSE EFFECT. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (such as water vapor and carbon dioxide) absorb most of the Earth's emitted longwave infrared radiation, which heats the lower atmosphere. Infrared. Infrared from the Sun reaches the Earth’s surface and warms it. The warm Earth emits some infrared radiation, and some of this is absorbed by gases in the atmosphere. This is called the greenhouse effect. Light, some infrared, some ultraviolet ultraviolet radiation: Electromagnetic radiation with a frequency between that of visible light and X-rays. , and microwaves microwaves: Electromagnetic radiation with a frequency between that of visible light and radio waves. Simple Answer: The Earth loses most of its energy through infrared radiation. The atmosphere, particularly water vapor and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, absorb a great … deal of energy radiated from the Earth's surface. Planets have some heat. The Earth and other planets retain some residual heat left form the time planets and the Sun were formed four or five billion years ago , X-rays X-rays: High frequency electromagnetic radiation, used for medical imaging. , most of the ultraviolet and some of the infrared [infrared radiation: Electromagnetic radiation emitted from a hot object. ] are absorbed by the atmosphere and do not reach the Earth’s surface. Light, some infrared, some ultraviolet ultraviolet radiation: Electromagnetic radiation with a frequency between that of visible light and X-rays. , and microwaves microwaves: Electromagnetic radiation with a frequency between that of visible light and radio waves. The general concepts found in this section are: 1  The earth's atmosphere is a very thin layer wrapped around a very large planet. 2  Two gases make up the bulk of the earth's atmosphere: nitrogen (), which comprises 78% of the atmosphere, and oxygen (), which accounts for 21%. 1 Two gases make up the bulk of the earth's atmosphere: nitrogen (), which comprises 78% of the atmosphere, and oxygen (), which accounts for 21%. 2  Various trace gases make up the remainder. 3  Based on temperature, the atmosphere is divided into four layers: the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere. Radiation that is not absorbed or scattered in the atmosphere can reach and interact with the Earth's surface. There are three (3) forms of interaction that can take place when energy strikes, or is incident (I) upon the surface. These are: absorption (A) ; transmission (T) ; and reflection (R) . The absorbtion by various constituents in the atmosphere results in limiting portions of the electromagnetic radiation from reaching the Earth. For remote sensing, this limits us to portions of the electromagnetic spectrum where radiation is not strongly absorbed. The atoms and molecules that make up the atmosphere absorb the different types of radiation (visible, ultraviolet, and infrared) to varying degrees (see Figure 4). Oxygen, in the form of O 2 (diatomic oxygen) and O 3 (triatomic oxygen, ozone), is the most important absorber of incoming radiation in the atmosphere. This radiation energy is primarily in the form of visible, short wave (ultraviolet), and long wave (infrared) radiation. Some of the sun’s energy is reflected back to space by the outer atmosphere, but the remainder of energy passes through the space-atmosphere boundary. Radiation that is not absorbed by the atmosphere reaches the Earth's surface and warms it, leading to the greenhouse effect. Some radiation, such as ultraviolet, exposes our skin to harmful rays and puts us at risk of developing skin cancer. Light, some infrared, some ultraviolet ultraviolet radiation: Electromagnetic radiation with a frequency between that of visible light and X-rays. , and microwaves microwaves: Electromagnetic radiation with a frequency between that of visible light and radio waves.
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which types of waves are absorbed by the atmosphere