Self reflection about atmosphere
Answers
The Earth’s climate is a solar powered system. Globally, over the course of the year, the Earth system—land surfaces, oceans, and atmosphere—absorbs an average of about 240 watts of solar power per square meter (one watt is one joule of energy every second). The absorbed sunlight drives photosynthesis, fuels evaporation, melts snow and ice, and warms the Earth system. The state of the global climate depends upon the balance of energy fluxes (flows) into and out of the climate system (made up of the atmosphere, oceans, ice masses, biosphere and geosphere). The most important component in this respect is the atmosphere, and the major energy fluxes of incoming sunlight and outgoing terrestrial radiation from the Earth, which must balance. The nature of the Earth’s atmosphere, with its greenhouse gases, also affects the state of the global climate.
The Sun doesn’t heat the Earth evenly. Because the Earth is a sphere, the Sun heats equatorial regions more than polar regions. The atmosphere and ocean work non-stop to even out solar heating imbalances through evaporation of surface water, convection, rainfall, winds, and ocean circulation. This coupled atmosphere and ocean circulation is known as Earth’s heat engine.