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The Sun and the weather. The energy that the Earth receives from the Sun is the basic cause of our changing weather. Solar heat warms the huge air masses that comprise large and small weather systems. The day-night and summer-winter cycles in the weather have obvious causes and effects.
What causes the uneven heating of the Earth?
Solar heating of the Earth’s surface is uneven because land heats faster than water, and this causes air to warm, expand and rise over land while it cools and sinks over the cooler water surfaces.
How does the uneven heating of the Earth affect the atmosphere?
Explanation: Usually when we talk about uneven heating of the Earth’s surface we are discussing convection. The uneven heating results in some of the atmosphere to be warmer than other parts and changes in volume and pressure which result in updrafts and can cause thunderstorms and other violent weather.
What is responsible for causing weather on Earth quizlet?
All weather conditions on Earth are affected by the Sun’s heat. The amount of heat or energy that comes into Earth or reflects back out into space is the earth’s energy budget. The Sun provides energy for the water cycle, which begins with the evaporation of water to produce water vapor (humidity).
What determines the weather?
Weather is made up of six main components. These are temperature, atmospheric pressure, cloud formation, wind, humidity and rain. A small change to any of these conditions can create a different weather pattern.
What causes wind in the earth’s atmosphere?
Gases move from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas. And the bigger the difference between the pressures, the faster the air will move from the high to the low pressure. That rush of air is the wind we experience.
Which source of renewable energy is caused by uneven heating of Earth’s surface?
Energy from moving air
Wind is caused by uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun. Because the earth’s surface is made up of different types of land and water, it absorbs the sun’s heat at different rates.
How does uneven heating of the earth cause ocean currents?
Ocean Currents
Earth receives more solar radiation at the equator than it does at the poles
this uneven distribution of heat creates pressure differences, which in turn cause the movement of air, or wind. Because the poles are either north or south of the equator, winds have a northward or southward flow.
How does the way the Sun heats the Earth affect Earth’s weather quizlet?
How does the way the Sun heats the Earth affect Earth’s weather? The Sun’s radiation unevenly heats Earth’s surfaces, which then unevenly heat the air above them by conduction. This warm air rises and is replaced with cooler, denser air by convection, setting up the formation of air currents. 2.
What affects the climate of an area aside from temperature and precipitation?
ocean currents. direction of prevailing winds. shape of the land (known as ‘relief’ or ‘topography’) distance from the equator.
What happens during precipitation?
Precipitation forms in the clouds when water vapor condenses into bigger and bigger droplets of water. When the drops are heavy enough, they fall to the Earth. If a cloud is colder, like it would be at higher altitudes, the water droplets may freeze to form ice.
What causes change in weather and climate?
These have been caused by many natural factors, including changes in the sun, emissions from volcanoes, variations in Earth’s orbit and levels of carbon dioxide (CO2). Global climate change has typically occurred very slowly, over thousands or millions of years.
Where does the weather happen?
Most weather happens in the troposphere, the part of Earth’s atmosphere that is closest to the ground.
What factors affect weather and climate?
Factors that Influence Climate
- Elevation or Altitude effect climate. Normally, climatic conditions become colder as altitude increases.
- Prevailing global wind patterns.
- Topography.
- Effects of Geography.
- Surface of the Earth.
- Climate change over time.
What causes wind quizlet?
Wind is caused by differences in air pressure. Differences in air pressure are due to unequal heating.
How does air pressure affect weather?
Atmospheric pressure is an indicator of weather. When a low-pressure system moves into an area, it usually leads to cloudiness, wind, and precipitation. High-pressure systems usually lead to fair, calm weather.
What is the heat energy obtained from the Earth called?
Geothermal energy is heat within the earth. The word geothermal comes from the Greek words geo (earth) and therme (heat). Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source because heat is continuously produced inside the earth.
What causes ocean currents?
Ocean currents are driven by wind, water density differences, and tides. Oceanic currents describe the movement of water from one location to another. Currents are generally measured in meters per second or in knots (1 knot = 1.85 kilometers per hour or 1.15 miles per hour).
What is responsible for the uneven heating that drives wind and ocean currents from day to day?
What is responsible for the uneven heating that drives wind and ocean currents from day to day? The sun causes uneven heating which leads to differences in air pressure. This causes wind which moves the water at the surface of the ocean.
What causes the Coriolis effect?
Because the Earth rotates on its axis, circulating air is deflected toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere. This deflection is called the Coriolis effect.