The amount of water gas or vapor in the air varies greatly from location to location. In some areas, such as deserts, the amount of water vapor in the air can be almost zero. In other locations, such as in rain forests and above the oceans, the amount of water vapor in the air can […]
Moisture in the air is something that almost all of us are familiar with. We see its effects practically on a daily basis. Moisture or water in the atmosphere causes clouds to form, fog to cover the landscape, and humidity to thicken the air. It also causes rain, snow, hail and sleet to form. Indeed, […]
During the day, land gets heated by the Sun much quicker than does water. As the land becomes warmer, it heats the air in the atmosphere above it. This causes the air to expand, becoming less dense, and thus creating a low pressure. Because water heats up much less quickly, air above the ocean also […]
While wind direction and speed change from one moment to the next, and from one location to the next, it is however possible to identify general patterns that affect the entire surface of the globe. This is especially true the higher one travels into the atmosphere. Subtropical Highs Each of the major oceans contains a […]
Like an unbalanced teeter-totter falling to one side or the other, the Earth is constantly trying to balance temperature differences. The cooler areas attract warm air, while the warmer areas push air outward in an attempt to cool itself down, until a perfect balance is reached everywhere. Due to the unequal heating of the Earth’s […]
The amount of energy absorbed by the Earth from the Sun, and the amount of energy radiated into space by the Earth is on average perfectly balanced on an annual or yearly basis. However, some locations are warmer or cooler than others. This is the principal cause of weather. As the gases in Earth’s atmosphere […]
One way that the atmosphere stores heat is in the form of latent heat. With the help of H2O, or water, the Earth’s atmosphere has the ability to store this excess heat. When heat is stored, it is referred to as latent heat. As water evaporates off of the surface of a lake, this stored […]
As air is heated it expands becoming less dense, and as a result, lighter. Because it is lighter, it rises upwards above the cooler air. As it does so, this air continues to expand. This is because there is less pressure higher in the atmosphere, allowing the air molecules to spread out more. In order […]
Before we continue our discussion on how heat affects our environments, let’s explore how heat is transferred from one object to another. There are three natural processes that can be used to transfer heat. These processes are called radiation, conduction, and convection. Radiation All objects radiate energy and heat, even your own body. However, the […]
Scientists divide our home planet into three spheres. Each sphere is categorized according to its physical characteristics. These spheres are the Atmosphere, which is made of all the Earth’s gases; the Lithosphere, which is made up of all the Earth’s physical materials, such as rocks and soil; and the Hydrosphere, which is made up of […]
