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Question 1
What causes infrared light to hit the ground?

User Wagner Patriota
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2 Answers

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21 votes

Answer:

Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and other trace gases in Earth's atmosphere absorb the longer wavelengths of outgoing infrared radiation from Earth's surface. These gases then emit the infrared radiation in all directions, both outward toward space and downward toward Earth.

Step-by-step explanation:

User Zenaan
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Infrared light can hit the ground after being absorbed by things in the Earth's atmosphere like water vapor, carbon monoxide, methane, and other traces of gases, which absorb the longer wavelengths of outgoing infrared radiation from the Earth's surface. The gases emit infrared radiation down to Earth and out into space.

User Mikegross
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