Infraraadas

Infraraadas is a term used in atmospheric sciences to denote a class of infrared radiative anomalies observed in remote sensing data. The phenomenon is described as faint, diffuse infrared glows that do not have a corresponding optical counterpart and are detected primarily in the mid-infrared range. Reports of infraraadas come from satellite observations and specialized ground-based infrared instruments, and they are typically characterized by spatially extended signatures that persist for short timescales.

The naming and concept of infraraadas emerged in the scientific literature as researchers sought to distinguish infrared anomalies from visible-spectrum atmospheric phenomena. The term combines a reference to infrared radiation with a pluralizing suffix, and it currently lacks a universally standardized definition. As a result, different studies may emphasize slightly different spectral bands, spatial scales, or duration when describing infraraadas.

Possible explanations proposed for infraraadas include contributions from thermal inertia in layered aerosol and cirrus structures, chemiluminescent or photoluminescent processes in high-altitude aerosols, transient luminous phenomena, or instrument-related artifacts such as calibration drifts and detector nonlinearities. To date, there is no single consensus on the dominant mechanism, and many researchers advocate cross-validation using multiple instruments and wavelengths to separate real atmospheric signals from measurement artifacts.

Significance and research direction focus on determining whether infraraadas can serve as indicators of upper-troposphere or lower-stratosphere dynamics, aerosol properties, or cloud microphysics. Ongoing studies aim to establish robust detection criteria, reduce false positives, and integrate infraraada observations into radiative-transfer models to improve understanding of infrared atmospheric processes. The concept remains a topic of active inquiry and debate within the field.