Question

The earth’s atmospheric window is in the:
A. Ultraviolet region
B. Visible region
C. Infrared region
D. Polar regions

Answer 1

Hint: Atmospheric window is defined as the curtain or protection which allows specific wavelengths to enter into the earth’s atmosphere. These wavelengths include gamma rays. The atmospheric window is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that can be spread through the atmosphere.

Step by step answer:Earth is having its own atmospheric window which protects the earth from the harmful radiation and gases. The atmospheric window acts as the barrier or the curtain which absorbs a particular range of wavelengths such as gamma rays. Earth’s atmospheric window is an infrared region. The infrared atmospheric window is defined as a region of the Infrared spectrum where there is relatively little absorption of thermal radiation by atmospheric gases. The window plays an important role in the greenhouse effect by maintaining the balance between incoming solar radiation and outgoing Infrared Radiation to space. In the earth's atmosphere, this window ranges from 8 and 14 nanometer. It can be narrowed or closed at times and places of high humidity. It covers a substantial part of the spectrum from surface thermal emission which starts at roughly 5 nanometers. Principally it is a large gap in the absorption spectrum of water vapor. To set the boundary at the long-wavelength carbon dioxide plays an important role in this. Ozone somewhat blocks the transmission in the middle of the window.
So, the correct option is option C. Infrared Region

Note: The importance of this infrared region on the earth’s atmosphere was discovered by George Simpson in 1928. Without the infrared atmospheric window, the Earth would become much too warm to support life. Thus, the existence of an atmospheric window is critical to Earth’s remaining habitable planet.