The graph shows Earth’s thermal emission spectrum as a blackbody at 288 K alongside the percentage of infrared radiation absorbed by different gases in the atmosphere across various wavelengths.
Which of the following statements correctly interprets how greenhouse gases and the "atmospheric window" interact with this radiative system?
The atmospheric window (8–14 μm8\text{--}14\ \mu\text{m}8–14 μm) is a band where the atmosphere is highly transparent to incoming solar radiation, allowing it to directly heat the Earth's surface.
Greenhouse gases absorb long-wavelength thermal radiation emitted by the Earth's surface and re-radiate it isotropically. This downward component of re-radiation reduces the net rate of radiative heat loss from the Earth's surface to space.
The sharp absorption peak at 15 μm15\ \mu\text{m}15 μm is due to CO2\text{CO}_2CO2 absorbing incoming ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun, preventing it from reaching the lower atmosphere.
An increase in the atmospheric concentration of CO2\text{CO}_2CO2 decreases the absorption of radiation at 15 μm15\ \mu\text{m}15 μm, allowing more thermal emission to escape through the atmospheric window.