Water vapor in Earth's atmosphere primarily absorbs which type of photons?

• A. Visible
• B. Infrared
• C. Ultraviolet
• D. Microwave

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that photons are particles of light characterized by their energy or wavelength, which corresponds to different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum such as ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and microwave.
2. Recall that water vapor in Earth's atmosphere interacts with electromagnetic radiation by absorbing certain wavelengths more effectively than others.
3. Recognize that water vapor is a strong absorber of infrared radiation because its molecular vibrations and rotations correspond to energies in the infrared region.
4. Note that visible light photons have higher energy than infrared photons, but water vapor does not absorb visible light significantly; instead, it mostly allows visible light to pass through the atmosphere.
5. Conclude that water vapor primarily absorbs infrared photons, which is important for Earth's greenhouse effect and energy balance.