What happens to that radiation, anyway?

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Now that we've covered the basic behavior of radiation and how it relates to temperature, we need to wrap-up our look at radiation by examining the possible fates of a “beam" of radiation as it passes through some sort of material.

When radiation first encounters some medium (whether it be a collection of gases, a liquid, or a solid), only three things can occur to that radiation. The electromagnetic energy can either be absorbed by the medium, scattered by the medium, or it can pass through the medium unaffected (a process called transmission). In many cases, all three processes can and do occur to some degree. Examine the figure below showing the three processes that can affect radiation passing through a medium.

Text description of the Radiation Beam image.

The image illustrates the interaction of incident radiation with a medium, depicting three possible outcomes: absorption, scattering, and transmission. On the left, a large red arrow labeled "Incident Radiation" points toward the medium, showing the direction of incoming electromagnetic waves. Within the medium, a smaller arrow titled "Scattering Event" indicates where scattering occurs. The outcomes are represented by arrows originating from this medium—one pointing outwards labeled "Absorption," another directed back towards the source labeled "Back-scattering," and another going through the medium labeled "Transmission." The background features a gradient of light blue hues, suggesting a transparent medium. The overall composition emphasizes the flow and interaction of light with material, capturing the critical processes of radiation behavior.

Credit: J. Brownson © Penn State University is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Let's briefly discuss each of these potential outcomes:

1. Transmission is essentially the process by which radiation passes through an object unaffected. An example of a medium with a high transmission value is window glass. Visible light passing through a thin sheet of glass does so basically undisturbed, which is why we can see objects clearly on the other side. We tend to call such mediums “transparent,” while mediums having low transmission values are called "opaque.” The transmission properties of a medium are highly dependent on wavelength, however. For example, an object that is transparent in the visible wavelengths might be opaque in some infrared wavelengths. I should also point out that 100% transmission is rare, except within the vacuum of space. Almost always, at least a little energy is lost to absorption and/or scattering as radiation moves through the medium. A glass of water from a clean lake may look clear, but it’s rare I can see more than a few feet down, no matter how pristine the water is.
2. Absorption is the extinguishing of a portion of the radiation “beam.” When an object absorbs electromagnetic radiation, the radiation is taken up by the matter via increases in the rotational, vibrational, and/or electronic energies of its constituents. This increase in internal energy within the matter leads to a temperature increase of the matter. As with transmission, the amount of energy that an object absorbs depends on the wavelength of the radiation and the physical make-up of the object. For example, freshly fallen snow absorbs little direct sunlight, but snow readily absorbs infrared radiation.
3. Scattering occurs when radiation interacts with matter in a way that changes its direction of “travel.” Scattering can occur in all directions, although some directions are preferred, depending on the size and composition of the particles involved in the scattering event. If the radiation encounters a scattering event and continues in a forward direction, the event is called “forward-scattering.” Likewise, objects can also back-scatter radiation, meaning that they redirect the radiation in all directions back toward the source. In some rare cases, the scattered radiation may retain the exact same direction that it initially had before the scattering event. When this occurs, the scattered light is sometimes counted in the “transmission” category (because it seemingly emerged unchanged from the medium).

Now, let's see these processes (particularly absorption and scattering) in action in the atmosphere.  First, the atmosphere, like snow, is a highly discriminating absorber (it only absorbs certain wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum). The plot of absorption spectra by various gases (below) indicates how efficiently certain gases and the atmosphere, taken as a whole, absorb various wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation. To interpret the graph, note the “0 to 1” scale on the left of the plot, indicating zero percent absorption and 100 percent absorption, respectively. At any specific wavelength, the upward reach of the color shading indicates the percentage of absorption by a particular gas (or the atmosphere, taken as a whole).

Text description of the Absorption Spectra image.

The image consists of a multi-colored graph displaying absorbance versus wavelength in microns. It features six horizontal sections, each representing different gases with their respective absorbance characteristics. The top section is labeled "CH4" (Methane), showing a distinct peak in purple. Below that, "N2O" (Nitrous Oxide) is represented with a light pink peak. The third section, labeled "O2 and O3," is colored in green and shows a broad range with minor variations. The "CO2" (Carbon Dioxide) section follows, showcasing two prominent red peaks. The fifth section, labeled "H2O" (Water), is colored blue and exhibits multiple peaks across the wavelength range. The final section at the bottom is labeled "Atmosphere," depicted in black, representing a broad absorbance band across various wavelengths.

Credit: David Babb © Penn State University is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

For example, focus your attention on the row for oxygen and ozone, labeled “O² and O³.” Note, to the left of the labels, that nearly 100 percent of the radiation incident on the O² and O³ at wavelengths ranging from 0.1 microns to about 0.3 microns is absorbed. Recall that these wavelengths correspond to potentially dangerous ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun. Ozone, a gas composed of three oxygen atoms (O3), absorbs much of the incoming ultraviolet radiation in the stratosphere, which is a layer that spans from 10 to 30 miles above the Earth's surface. Thank goodness for ozone in the stratosphere! Otherwise, cases of skin cancer and other afflictions associated with overexposure to the sun would likely be much more rampant in our society than they actually are.

Scattering, on the other hand, makes things look the way they do. You can't see objects if visible light isn't scattered to your eyes. But scattering doesn't have to be a one-time event. Often, radiation will enter an object and encounter many (hundreds/thousands) of scattering events before emerging. This is what happens to make clouds appear white on top and darker on the bottom (cue the obligatory storm photo). It's also what makes snow, salt, sugar, and milk white. Furthermore, multiple scattering increases the time that the radiation resides in the medium (as it bounces around, unable to escape). This longer residence time increases the chance that the radiation will also be absorbed by the medium. A great example is the blue hue that ice sometimes develops. Water (even in frozen form) tends to absorb wavelengths associated with red light at a faster rate than those associated with blue light, so over time with multiple scattering events, more blue light is scattered to our eyes (see below)!