How are long-wave radiation and short-wave radiation related?
Three forms of energy play important roles in the Earth’s energy cycle 3: radiant energy 1, sensible heat 1 and latent heat 1. Heat transport requires matter (gas, liquid, solid) because heat is atomic or molecular motion. Radiation can pass through a vacuum, such as the near vacuum of space. The sun produces both radiant and heat energy, but only the radiant energy reaches the Earth as visible light. Visible light (short-wavelength radiation 2) that passed through the Earth atmosphere and absorbed by the Earth surface causes sufficient heating for the Earth to emit invisible (long-wavelength 2) infrared radiation that is so efficiently absorbed by carbon dioxide, heating the atmosphere 2.
