Final answer:
Visible light, with wavelengths between 400 and 700 nm, is able to reach the Earth's surface as it is most effectively transmitted through the atmosphere. Ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths are largely filtered by atmospheric components, which reflects the evolutionary adaptation of human vision to detect the available light spectrum.
Step-by-step explanation:
The wavelengths of light that are able to reach the Earth's surface fall within the range of visible light, which corresponds to wavelengths between about 400 and 700 nanometers (nm). Beyond this range, other wavelengths are absorbed by various atmospheric gases. For instance, ultraviolet light with shorter wavelengths than the visible spectrum is mostly absorbed by the ozone layer, while longer wavelengths, such as infrared, are absorbed by water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases. Humans have evolved to see wavelengths that are most prevalent in the light emitted by the Sun and effectively transmitted through the Earth's atmosphere. Figures cited in the provided reference material indicate that there is much more to the electromagnetic spectrum, including ultraviolet light, which is absorbed by Earth's atmosphere, and infrared wavelengths that also confront absorption by atmospheric molecules. Additionally, our Sun emits light in ultraviolet wavelengths, which is observable through space-based telescopes but not through Earth's atmosphere. This showcases the diversity of the electromagnetic spectrum available throughout the universe but also accentuates the specific wavelengths that penetrate our atmospheric veil to interact with life on our surface.