Atmospheric Radiation
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Atmospheric Radiation
Infrared radiation emitted by or being
propagated through the atmosphere. See
insolation.
Atmospheric radiation, lying almost entirely within the
wavelength interval of from 3 to 80 microns, provides one of the
most important mechanisms by which the heat balance of the earth-atmosphere
system is maintained. Infrared radiation emitted by the earth's
surface (terrestrial radiation) is partially absorbed by the water
vapor of the atmosphere which in turn remits it, partly upward,
partly downward. This secondarily emitted radiation is then, in
general, repeatedly absorbed and reemitted, as the radiant energy
progresses through the atmosphere. The downward flux, or counterradiation,
is of basic importance in the
greenhouse effect; the upward
flux is essential to the radiative balance of the planet.
References
This article is based on NASA's Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use
