The atmosphere may effect not only the 1) speed of radiation but also its 2)
wavelength, 3) intensity, 4) spectral distribution, and/or 5) direction.
The electromagnetic radiation may also be diverted from its original direction due
to refraction. Four main atmospheric interaction including:
1) Refraction - resulting in forward-scattering of the wave into encountered object
2) Scattering - resulting in the dispersion (or deviation) of initial wave trajectory
3) Absorption - resulting in the loss of the initial wave energy
4) Reflectance - resulting in back-scattering of the wave into encountered object