radiational cooling

American  

noun

1. the cooling of the earth's surface and adjacent air, primarily at night, caused by a loss of heat due to surface emission of infrared radiation.

---

radiational cooling Scientific  

/ rā′dē-ā′shə-nəl /

1. The cooling of the Earth's surface and the air near the surface, occurring chiefly at night. It is caused by the emission of infrared radiation from the Earth's surface and from the tops of clouds and the atmosphere. Because infrared radiation is absorbed by water vapor, cloudless nights usually allow for greater radiational cooling than overcast nights. Radiational cooling occurs in all regions of the Earth and is important in maintaining the Earth's energy balance.

---

Example Sentences

The Antelope Valley is facing chillier temperatures than the rest of the region because it is more protected from wind at night, causing “radiational cooling,” Gomberg said.

From Los Angeles Times

Inside the Beltway and to the east, lows in the upper 30s to near 40 are more likely, but it’s not out of the question that a few pockets even within this zone see patchy frost if skies clear and winds calm, promoting ideal radiational cooling.

From Washington Post

But radiational cooling continues at the top of the fog layer, causing it to grow thicker and deeper.

From Los Angeles Times