GEOG 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Background Radiation

• School: Irvine Valley College
• Department: Geography
• Course: GEOG 1
• Professor: stevens

Document Summary

* also called shortwave (sw) radiation; ~. 4 microns and smaller. * visible light is in the wavelengths from . 4 microns(violet) to . 7 microns(red) * may be scattered reflected or absorbed or go directly to surface. Scattering: particles in the atmosphere redirect the incoming solar radiation (sw) from its original path * * Reflection: process whereby a surface turns back a portion of the radiation that strikes it. ** law of reflection ; the angle on incidence(incoming) = angle of reflection(outgoing) ** albedo: % of radiation reflected off a surface compared to incident radiation striking it. * average planetary surface with varying sun angles. * examples: thick clouds 70-80, thin clouds 30-50, fresh snow 80-85, old snow 50-60, forest 5-10, grass 20-25, dry earth 15-25, water 3-5(high sun altitude), 50-80(low sun altitude) Absorption: process whereby energy of the incoming sw radiation is transferred into internal molecular motion (heat energy) of the object struck * * *