With reference to the Earth’s atmosphere, which one of the following statements is correct? [2023]
With reference to the Earth’s atmosphere, which one of the following statements is correct?
- The total amount of insolation received at the equator is roughly about 10 times of that received at the poles.
- Infrared rays constitute roughly two-thirds of insolation.
- Infrared waves are largely absorbed by water vapour that is concentrated in the lower atmosphere.
- Infrared waves are a part of visible spectrum of electromagnetic waves of solar radiation.
Explanation
Statement (a) is incorrect
- On average, equatorial areas receive approximately 2.4 times more insolation than polar areas.
Statement (b) is incorrect
- Infrared rays do not constitute roughly two-thirds of isolation. Solar radiation is electromagnetic radiation in the 0.28…3.0 µm wavelength range. The solar spectrum includes a small share of ultraviolet radiation (0.28…0.38 µm) which is invisible to our eyes and comprises about 2% of the solar spectrum, the visible light which range from 0.38 to 0.78 µm and accounts for around 49% of the spectrum. Infrared radiation with long wavelength (0.78…3.0 µm), which makes up most of the remaining 49% of the solar spectrum.
Statement (c) is correct
- The atmosphere is largely transparent to short-wave solar radiation. The incoming solar radiation passes through the atmosphere before striking the Earth’s surface. Within the troposphere, water vapour, ozone, and other gases absorb much of the near-infrared radiation.
Statement (d) is incorrect
- The visible light spectrum is the segment of the electromagnetic spectrum that the human eye can view. More simply, this range of wavelengths is called visible light. Typically, the human eye can detect wavelengths from 380 to 750 nanometers. Other portions of the spectrum have wavelengths that are either too large or too small, and energies that are beyond the biological limits of our perception. Infrared waves are not part of the visible spectrum, and they lie just beyond the visible red light in the electromagnetic spectrum.
