Atmospheric greenhouse effect means that the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb the ...

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Question context: The prompt asks about what greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb in the atmospheric greenhouse effect.
Option 1: 'ultraviolet solar radiation' — This is not what greenhouse gases primarily absorb in this context. Ultraviolet radiation is mostly absorbed by the ozone layer and is higher-energy radiation, not the main warming process associated with the greenhouse effect.
Option 2: 'infrared earth surface radiation' — This accurately reflects the core mechanism: the Earth emits infrared radiation after absorbing solar energy, and greenhouse gases absorb some of that infrared heat, trapping it in the lower atmosphere and surface. This is the standard description of the atmospheric greenhouse effect.
Option 3: 'infrared solar radiation' — Solar radiation itself arriving from the Sun includes some infrared, but the solar spectrum at the top of the atmosphere is dominated by visible light; greenhouse gases mainly interact with infrared radiation emitted by the Earth, not the direct infrared component of solar radiation.
Option 4: 'visible solar radiation' — Greenhouse gases do not primarily absorb visible light; visible radiation mostly passes through and warms the surface, whereas the key warming mechanism involves absorption of infrared radiation emitted from the Earth's surface.
Summary perspective: The essential concept is that the atmospheric greenhouse effect arises because greenhouse gases absorb longwave infrared radiation emitted by the Earth, preventing some heat from escaping back to space. The other options misidentify the primary part of the spectrum involved or mix up where the absorption mainly occurs, leading to incorrect characterizations of the mechanism.

CLMTGR5001_002_2025_3 - Dynamics of Climate Variability and Chan Quiz 2c Week 2 Lecture 3

Atmospheric greenhouse effect means that the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb the ...

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