Question

The Earth's surface temperature is about 15∘C, far above the average temperature of the atmosphere of −33∘C, mainly because:

a)The visible light from the Sun is almost completely absorbed by the atmosphere and radiated back to the Earth’s surface but in a form of infrared radiation.
b)The infrared radiation from the Sun is almost completely absorbed by the atmosphere and radiated to the Earth.
c)The infrared radiation from the Earth’s surface is almost completely absorbed by the atmosphere and a large fraction of it is radiated back to the Earth’s surface.
d)The ultraviolet light from the Sun is absorbed by the ozone in the atmosphere and radiated back to the earth.
e)The surface of the Earth absorbs the Sun’s radiation but the atmosphere doesn’t absorb any radiation.

Answer 1

The Earth's surface temperature is notably higher than the average atmospheric temperature due to the infrared radiation from the surface being absorbed by the atmosphere and then partially reradiated back, a process known as the greenhouse effect.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Earth's surface temperature is about 15°C, far above the average temperature of the atmosphere of −33°C, mainly because the infrared radiation from the Earth’s surface is almost completely absorbed by the atmosphere and a large fraction of it is radiated back to the Earth's surface.

The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon responsible for providing temperatures suitable for life on Earth. The atmosphere is transparent to incoming visible radiation and most of the Sun's infrared.

However, when the Earth absorbs this energy and re-emits it in infrared at much longer wavelengths due to the lower temperature of the Earth, the atmosphere, enriched with gases like carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water vapor (H₂O), absorbs much of this infrared radiation.

This trapped energy is then partially reradiated back to Earth, maintaining a surface temperature that is significantly warmer than it would be without these atmospheric gases.