What is radiational cooling and when does it occur?

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Multiple Choice

What is radiational cooling and when does it occur?

Radiational cooling is the nighttime loss of heat from the surface to space through infrared radiation. It happens most strongly on clear, calm nights when the ground can efficiently radiate energy upward and there’s little mixing to bring warmer air down from aloft. As the surface cools, the air just above it also cools, so surface temperatures drop. If enough moisture is present, the air can reach the dew point and fog may form; if temperatures fall below freezing, frost can develop on surfaces. This process is about net heat loss via longwave radiation, unlike daytime solar heating, latent heat release during condensation, or warming from atmospheric longwave radiation.

Radiational cooling is the nighttime loss of heat from the surface to space through infrared radiation. It happens most strongly on clear, calm nights when the ground can efficiently radiate energy upward and there’s little mixing to bring warmer air down from aloft. As the surface cools, the air just above it also cools, so surface temperatures drop. If enough moisture is present, the air can reach the dew point and fog may form; if temperatures fall below freezing, frost can develop on surfaces. This process is about net heat loss via longwave radiation, unlike daytime solar heating, latent heat release during condensation, or warming from atmospheric longwave radiation.

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