What kinds of radiation are absorbed by Earth's atmosphere and how much radiation is absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere and surface?
The Earth's atmosphere absorbs a variety of types of radiation, including:
- Ultraviolet (UV) radiation: UV radiation is high-energy radiation that can damage DNA and cause skin cancer. The ozone layer in the stratosphere absorbs most of the Sun's UV radiation, protecting life on Earth.
- Visible light: Visible light is the type of radiation that we can see. It passes through the atmosphere mostly unimpeded, but some of it is scattered by clouds and aerosols.
- Infrared (IR) radiation: IR radiation is low-energy radiation that is emitted by all objects that have a temperature above absolute zero. The atmosphere absorbs some IR radiation, but most of it passes through to the Earth's surface.
- Microwave radiation: Microwave radiation is a type of non-ionizing radiation that is used in a variety of technologies, such as microwave ovens and cell phones. The atmosphere absorbs some microwave radiation, but most of it passes through.
- X-ray and gamma ray radiation: X-ray and gamma ray radiation are high-energy ionizing radiation that can damage DNA and cause cancer. The atmosphere absorbs most of this radiation before it reaches the Earth's surface.
The amount of radiation absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere and surface varies depending on the type of radiation and the wavelength
In fact, infrared as the thermal emission from our planet as incident solar radiation hits Earth, some of this energy is absorbed by the atmosphere and the surface, thereby warming the planet. This heat is emitted from Earth in the form of infrared radiation. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (such as water vapor and carbon dioxide) absorb most of the Earth's emitted long wave infrared radiation, which heats the lower atmosphere. UV-C rays are the most harmful and are almost completely absorbed by our atmosphere. UV-B rays are the harmful rays that cause sunburn. Exposure to UV-B rays increases the risk of DNA and other cellular damage in living organisms. Fortunately, about 95 percent UV-B rays are absorbed by ozone in the Earth's atmosphere. Radioactive materials are all around us and can be naturally found in the earth. This type of radiation is terrestrial radiation. In total approximately 70% of incoming radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere and the Earth's surface while around 30% is reflected back to space and does not heat the surface. The Earth radiates energy at wavelengths much longer than the Sun because it is colder. Atmospheric radiation is the flow of electromagnetic energy between the sun and the Earth's surface as it is influenced by clouds, aerosols, and gases in the Earth's atmosphere. It includes both solar radiation (sunlight) and long-wave (thermal) radiation. Terrestrial radiation is a process which continues s for 24hours. The atmospheric gases especially carbon dioxide and water vapour are almost transparent to shortwave solar radiation and able to absorb only about 19percent and at the same time, it absorbs about 85 percent of terrestrial long wave infrared radiation. More solar radiation is received and absorbed near the equator than at the poles. Near the equator, the Sun's rays strike the Earth most directly, while at the poles the rays strike at a steep angle. In total approximately 70% of incoming radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere and the Earth's surface while around 30% is reflected back to space and does not heat the surface. The Earth radiates energy at wavelengths much longer than the Sun because it is colder
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