HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Shortwave radiation (SW) is
thermal radiation Thermal radiation is electromagnetic radiation emitted by the thermal motion of particles in matter. All matter with a temperature greater than absolute zero emits thermal radiation. The emission of energy arises from a combination of electro ...
in the
optical spectrum The visible spectrum is the band of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye. Electromagnetic radiation in this range of wavelengths is called ''visible light'' (or simply light). The optical spectrum is sometimes consider ...
, including visible (VIS), near-
ultraviolet Ultraviolet radiation, also known as simply UV, is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10% of ...
(UV), and
near-infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those of ...
(NIR) spectra. There is no standard cut-off for the near-infrared range; therefore, the shortwave radiation range is also variously defined. It may be broadly defined to include all radiation with a wavelength of 0.1 μm and 5.0μm or narrowly defined so as to include only radiation between 0.2μm and 3.0μm. There is little radiation flux (in terms of W/m2) to the Earth's surface below 0.2μm or above 3.0μm, although photon flux remains significant as far as 6.0μm, compared to shorter wavelength fluxes. UV-C radiation spans from 0.1μm to .28μm, UV-B from 0.28μm to 0.315μm,
UV-A Ultraviolet radiation, also known as simply UV, is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10% of the ...
from 0.315μm to 0.4μm, the visible spectrum from 0.4μm to 0.7μm, and NIR arguably from 0.7μm to 5.0μm, beyond which the infrared is thermal. Shortwave radiation is distinguished from ''longwave radiation''. Downward shortwave radiation is related to
solar irradiance Solar irradiance is the power per unit area (surface power density) received from the Sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of the measuring instrument. Solar irradiance is measured in watts per square metre ( ...
and is sensitive to
solar zenith angle The solar zenith angle is the zenith angle of the sun, i.e., the angle between the sun’s rays and the vertical direction. It is the complement to the solar altitude or solar elevation, which is the altitude angle or elevation angle between the ...
and
cloud cover Cloud cover (also known as cloudiness, cloudage, or cloud amount) refers to the fraction of the sky obscured by clouds on average when observed from a particular location. Okta is the usual unit for measurement of the cloud cover. The cloud c ...
.L. Chen, G. Yan, T. Wang, H. Ren, J. Calbó, J. Zhao, R. McKenzie (2012), Estimation of surface shortwave radiation components under all sky conditions: Modeling and sensitivity analysis, Remote Sensing of Environment, 123: 457–469.
/ref>


See also

*
Outgoing longwave radiation In climate science, longwave radiation (LWR) is electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic thermal radiation emitted by Earth's surface, atmosphere, and clouds. It is also referred to as terrestrial radiation. This radiation is in the infrared p ...


Notes


External links


National Science Digital Library - Shortwave radiation

''Measuring Solar Radiation: The Solar Infrared Radiation Station (SIRS)''
A lesson plan that deals with shortwave radiation from the SIRS instrument.


References

*Zhang, Y., W. B. Rossow, A. A. Lacis, V. Oinas and M. I. Mischenko (2004). "Calculation of radiative fluxes from the surface to the top of atmosphere based on ISCCP and other global data sets: Refinements of the radiative transfer model and the input data." Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres 109(D19105).
L. Chen, G. Yan, T. Wang, H. Ren, J. Calbó, J. Zhao, R. McKenzie (2012), Estimation of surface shortwave radiation components under all sky conditions: Modeling and sensitivity analysis, Remote Sensing of Environment, 123: 457–469.
Waves {{physics-stub