Which condition does infrared imaging help to visualize effectively?

Infrared imaging is particularly effective in visualizing water vapor in the atmosphere because it can detect thermal radiation emitted by objects based on their temperature. Water vapor absorbs and emits infrared radiation, enabling the technique to differentiate between areas with varying humidity levels. By using infrared sensors, we can create images that highlight the distribution and concentration of water vapor in the atmosphere, which is essential for understanding weather patterns, studying climate processes, and monitoring phenomena like hurricanes and precipitation.

Other conditions, like solar radiation, are typically measured using different methods, such as radiometers that specifically focus on visible wavelengths. Ocean currents can be mapped using satellite altimetry and other measurement techniques that analyze surface features and temperature gradients, rather than infrared imaging. Tectonic plate movement is primarily studied through geological surveys and GPS data, which focus on the physical displacement of the Earth's crust rather than thermal imaging. Hence, among the provided options, infrared imaging is uniquely suited to effectively visualize water vapor.