Infrared window

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/infrared-window

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the spectral transmission range?Primarily 8-14 micrometers (μm), with variations based on atmospheric conditions
2. What is the dominant atmospheric influence?Water vapor absorption, particularly the water vapor continuum, significantly impacts window transparency
3. Why is the infrared window important for Earth's temperature?It lets a lot of heat that the Earth gets from the Sun leave the planet, keeping temperatures from getting too hot. Without it, the Earth would be much warmer because the heat would stay trapped.
4. Who discovered the infrared window and when?George Simpson discovered it in 1928, building on work by G. Hettner in 1918 who first noticed a gap in water vapor absorption.

Terrestrial thermal radiation: Electromagnetic radiation emitted by the Earth's surface due to its temperature.
Water vapor continuum: The continuous absorption of infrared radiation by water vapor molecules, not limited to discrete spectral lines.
Line-by-line computation: A detailed method for calculating atmospheric radiative transfer by considering individual absorption lines of atmospheric gases.
Radiative forcing: The change in the net balance of Earth's incoming and outgoing energy, often used to measure the impact of climate change factors.