Is incoming solar radiation long wave and what happens to the incoming solar radiation after it is absorbed by the Earth's surface and given off as heat?
The incoming solar irradiance is not just long wave radiation rather it is a complete spectrum. After it is absorbed, it is emitted as long wavelength (Low Frequency) infrared radiation by the earth.
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No, incoming solar radiation is shortwave radiation. It consists of ultraviolet (UV), visible, and near-infrared (NIR) light. When shortwave radiation reaches Earth's surface, it can either be:
The absorbed shortwave radiation is eventually re-emitted as longwave infrared (IR) radiation. Longwave IR radiation is invisible to the human eye and has a much longer wavelength than shortwave radiation. As Earth warms, it emits more longwave IR radiation, which radiates back into space. This process is known as terrestrial radiation.
Some of the longwave IR radiation emitted by Earth's surface is trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane. These gases absorb the longwave IR radiation and re-emit it in all directions, warming the lower atmosphere. This trapping of longwave IR radiation is what causes the greenhouse effect.
The balance between incoming shortwave radiation and outgoing longwave IR radiation determines Earth's climate. If more shortwave radiation is absorbed than longwave IR radiation is emitted, the Earth warms. If more longwave IR radiation is emitted than shortwave radiation is absorbed, the Earth cools.
Shortwave solar radiation that's absorbed by Earth's surface or atmosphere is re-radiated it as longwave, infrared radiation, also known as heat. The more solar radiation is absorbed, the more heat is re-radiated and the temperature of the atmosphere goes up. Incoming solar radiation is shortwave, ultraviolet, and visible radiation; outgoing Earth radiation is long wave infrared radiation.The Sun emits radiation at a shorter wavelength than the Earth because it has a higher temperature and Planck's curve for higher temperatures peaks at shorter wavelengths. It is for this reason that Earth's radiation is referred to as long wave and the Sun's radiation is shortwave. All of the energy from the Sun that reaches the Earth arrives as solar radiation, part of a large collection of energy called the electromagnetic radiation spectrum. Solar radiation includes visible light, ultraviolet light, infrared, radio waves, X-rays, and gamma rays. Radiation is one way to transfer heat. Incoming Solar Radiation it all starts with the Sun, where the fusion of hydrogen creates an immense amount of energy, heating the surface to around 6000°K; the Sun then radiates energy outwards in the form of ultraviolet and visible light, with a bit in the near-infrared part of the spectrum. Heat resulting from the absorption of incoming shortwave radiation is emitted as long wave radiation. Radiation from the warmed upper atmosphere, along with a small amount from the Earth's surface, radiates out to space.Absorption of sunlight causes the molecules of the object or surface it strikes to vibrate faster, increasing its temperature. This energy is then re-radiated by the Earth as long wave, infrared radiation, also known as heat. Therefore, absorption occurs due to the presence of water vapour, carbon dioxide, and ozone in the atmosphere and other particulate matter. The heat generated by this absorption is emitted as long wave infrared radiation, some of which radiates out into space.
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