Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Radiation: Applications01:17

Radiation: Applications

1.8K
The average temperature of Earth is the subject of much current discussion. Earth is in radiative contact with both the Sun and dark space; it receives almost all its energy from the radiation of the Sun and reflects some of it into outer space. Dark space is very cold, about 3 K, so Earth radiates energy into it. For instance, heat transfer occurs from soil and grasses, the rate of which can be so rapid that frost can occur on clear summer evenings, even in warm latitudes.
The average...
1.8K
What is Climate?01:16

What is Climate?

17.4K
Climate refers to the prevailing weather conditions in a specific area over an extended period. As the saying goes, “Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.” Climate is influenced by geographic factors, such as latitude, terrain, and proximity to bodies of water.
17.4K
Absorption of Radiation01:05

Absorption of Radiation

1.6K
The rate of heat transfer by emitted radiation is described by the Stefan-Boltzmann law of radiation:
1.6K
IR Spectrum01:19

IR Spectrum

3.1K
When infrared (IR) radiation passes through a molecule, the bonds stretch or bend by absorbing the radiation. This absorption creates the molecule's absorption spectrum, which is the plot of its percentage transmittance versus wavenumber.
Transmittance is defined as the ratio of the radiant power passing through a sample to that from the radiation's source. Multiplying the transmittance by 100 gives the percent transmittance (%T), which varies between 100% (no absorption) and 0%...
3.1K
Global Climate Change01:50

Global Climate Change

24.3K
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
24.3K
Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy: Overview01:09

Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy: Overview

6.6K
When electromagnetic radiation passes through a material, atoms or molecules transition from a lower to a higher energy state by absorbing radiation corresponding to the energy difference between the two states. The absorption of infrared (IR) radiation causes transitions between vibrational energy levels in a molecule. Therefore, IR spectroscopy is a useful analytical tool for determining the molecular structure of molecules.
Different compounds display unique properties due to their...
6.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Fate Bifurcation of Cellular Senescence: Dynamic Regulation from Tumor Suppression to Recurrence Risk.

Cells·2026
Same author

Building user-driven climate adaptation products.

Nature·2026
Same author

Choline serves as the primary active compound of anti-aging tablets and targets PTGS2 to alleviate neuronal damage in Alzheimer's disease by modulating ferroptosis and apoptosis in nerve cells.

Behavioural brain research·2026
Same author

A spectroscopic theory for how mean rainfall changes with surface temperature.

Science advances·2025
Same author

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Dots for Selective Fe<sup>3+</sup> Detection.

Journal of fluorescence·2025
Same author

Anthropogenic aerosols mask increases in US rainfall by greenhouse gases.

Nature communications·2024
Same journal

Costunolide ameliorates autoimmune uveitis by targeting USP15 to suppress TNF-α-induced retinal endothelial inflammation.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

A ligandable PNT domain establishes ERG as a directly targetable oncogenic driver in prostate cancer.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Identification of cellular intermediates unveils unique enzymes for flagellar glycan biosynthesis in <i>Clostridioides difficile</i>.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

The structure of correlated variability reflects task-relevant information in sensory neurons.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Shared neurogenetic substrates of nonplanning impulsivity and procrastination.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

HIV-1 capsid interactions with Nuclear Pore Complex components support nuclear entry via affinity gradient.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Surface Renewal: An Advanced Micrometeorological Method for Measuring and Processing Field-Scale Energy Flux Density Data
09:55

Surface Renewal: An Advanced Micrometeorological Method for Measuring and Processing Field-Scale Energy Flux Density Data

Published on: December 12, 2013

8.1K

Far-infrared surface emissivity and climate.

Daniel R Feldman1, William D Collins2, Robert Pincus3

  • 1Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720; drfeldman@lbl.gov.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|November 5, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Global measurements of far-infrared surface emissivity are lacking, impacting climate models. This study shows how emissivity variations significantly alter outgoing longwave radiation and cooling rates, especially in dry, high-latitude regions.

Keywords:
climate changeemissivitypolar amplificationpositive feedbackremote sensing

More Related Videos

Improving Infrared Spectroscopy Characterization of Soil Organic Matter with Spectral Subtractions
08:57

Improving Infrared Spectroscopy Characterization of Soil Organic Matter with Spectral Subtractions

Published on: January 10, 2019

12.4K
Surface Mapping of Earth-like Exoplanets using Single Point Light Curves
06:48

Surface Mapping of Earth-like Exoplanets using Single Point Light Curves

Published on: May 10, 2020

3.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Surface Renewal: An Advanced Micrometeorological Method for Measuring and Processing Field-Scale Energy Flux Density Data
09:55

Surface Renewal: An Advanced Micrometeorological Method for Measuring and Processing Field-Scale Energy Flux Density Data

Published on: December 12, 2013

8.1K
Improving Infrared Spectroscopy Characterization of Soil Organic Matter with Spectral Subtractions
08:57

Improving Infrared Spectroscopy Characterization of Soil Organic Matter with Spectral Subtractions

Published on: January 10, 2019

12.4K
Surface Mapping of Earth-like Exoplanets using Single Point Light Curves
06:48

Surface Mapping of Earth-like Exoplanets using Single Point Light Curves

Published on: May 10, 2020

3.0K

Area of Science:

  • Atmospheric Science
  • Climate Modeling
  • Remote Sensing

Background:

  • Surface emissivity in the far-infrared (>15 μm) is unconstrained globally.
  • This property directly influences outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and infrared cooling rates.
  • Dry conditions, common at high altitudes/latitudes, are sensitive to these uncertain surface characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the sensitivity of OLR and cooling rates to far-infrared (far-IR) surface emissivity.
  • To assess the impact of unconstrained far-IR surface emissivity on climate model projections.
  • To investigate the role of surface emissivity in polar climate change feedback.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized radiative transfer techniques to model far-IR spectral emissivities for various International Geosphere-Biosphere Program surface types.
  • Incorporated modeled far-IR surface emissivities into the Community Earth System Model under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 scenario.
  • Analyzed changes in surface temperature, OLR, and frozen surface extent.

Main Results:

  • A 0.05 change in emissivity (due to mineralogy/snow grain size) can alter clear-sky OLR by 1.8-2.0 W m⁻² at high latitudes/altitudes.
  • Model integration showed discernible changes (up to 2°K, 10 W m⁻², 15%) in surface temperature, OLR, and frozen extent at high latitudes after 25 years.
  • Calculated ocean-sea ice emissivity differences (0.1-0.2) suggest a potential far-IR positive feedback for polar climate change.

Conclusions:

  • Far-infrared surface emissivity is a critical, yet unconstrained, parameter for accurate climate modeling, particularly in polar regions.
  • Variations in far-IR emissivity significantly impact climate projections, including surface temperature and frozen surface extent.
  • The findings highlight a potential positive feedback mechanism in polar climate change driven by far-IR emissivity differences between ocean and sea ice.