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Earth's Relationship with the Sun: Understanding Solar Energy, Weather, and Climate

This article explores the vital relationship between Earth and the Sun, emphasizing the significance of solar energy. It discusses how solar energy influences daily life, including clothing, housing, agriculture, and sports. The mechanisms of Earth's rotation, revolution, and axial tilt are explained, demonstrating their roles in determining solar energy distribution across different latitudes and seasons. The distinction between weather and climate is clarified, alongside insights into global climates categorized by precipitation, temperature, and vegetation.

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Earth's Relationship with the Sun: Understanding Solar Energy, Weather, and Climate

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Presentation Transcript

  1. WEATHER, CLIMATE, & ATMOSPHERE

  2. Earth’s Relationship with the Sun • Most of the Earth’s energy comes from the Sun. • This type of energy is called solar energy. Solar energy reaches Earth in two ways: • Light • Heat • What are some ways solar energy affects things here on Earth? • The clothes we wear, the homes we live in, the foods we grow & eat, and which sports we play

  3. Earth’s Relationship with the Sun (Continued) • Three different relationships between Earth and the sun control how much solar energy is received at different locations: • Rotation • Revolution • Tilt

  4. Rotation, Revolution, & Tilt • Rotation – the Earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours. This causes night and day. • Revolution – the Earth revolves around the sun every year (365 ¼ days). • Tilt – the Earth is tilted 23 1/2˚. The tilt of the earth’s axis determines the amount of solar energy that different places receive during the year.

  5. Solar Energy & Latitude • Different places on Earth receive different amounts of energy. • Tropics – areas near the equator receive a lot of solar energy and are warm all year. The tropics are in the low-latitudes. • Polar regions – areas at the high latitudes that receive very little sun and are cold most of the time. • Middle latitudes – are the areas between the polar regions and the tropics. Temperatures vary depending on the time of year.

  6. The Seasons • Season – the time of greater or lesser heat. • 4 total – summer, fall, winter, and spring • Summer – daytime lasts longer and the sun’s energy is stronger. • Fall & Spring – daylight & darkness are equal in length and the Sun’s energy is more evenly distributed • The tilt of the Earth’s axis causes the Northern & Southern hemispheres to have opposite seasons at the same time of year.

  7. Solstice • Occurs twice in a year • June 21st - summer – the longest day of year • December 21st - winter – the shortest day of the year • Earth’s poles tilt toward or away from the sun.

  8. EQUINOX • Days and nights are equal • The direct rays of the sun strike the equator. • Sept 22 – Fall • March 21 – spring

  9. Difference between Weather & Climate Weather – conditions in the atmosphere from day to day. Climate – conditions in the atmosphere over a long period of time. Ex. -Tropical Rain forest

  10. Air pressure • Low pressure • warm air - expands & rises • Unstable (front) • Found from 60N of the equator to 60S of the equator • High pressure • cold air • heavy & dense – it sinks • STABLE • Found from 30-90 north & south of the equator

  11. WEATHER MAP

  12. WINDS • US – westerlies – west to east

  13. Atmosphere • Air that surrounds the earth

  14. GLOBAL CLIMATES • Classified by precipitation , temperature, & vegetation • LATITUDE – most influence

  15. LOW LATITUDE • Desert • Savanna • Rainforest • steppe

  16. Middle Latitude • Marine West Coast • Humid continental • Mediterranean • Humid subtropical

  17. HC – only 1 that has 4 seasons

  18. High latitude • Icecap • Subarctic • Tundra • Highland

  19. TUNDRA

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