WHAT ROLE DOES THE SUN PLAY IN OUR WEATHER & OCEAN CURRENTS?

A RECAP OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SUN• 4.6 billion years old• Will last another 5 billion years• Made mostly of Hydrogen and Helium• Goes through fusion to combine

Hydrogen into Helium. This is what gives off so much heat energy.

• Gives off primarily infrared energy, visible light and ultraviolet energy.

• UV energy is what causes sunburns!

ENERGY/HEAT TRANSFER…

As the Sun shines down on Earth, it transfers energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation (light). The unequal distribution of this sunlight around the globe is what powers all weather/ocean systems.

HOW DOES HEAT FROM THE SUN MOVE AROUND THE GLOBE?

• Conduction- As molecules are heated, they begin to vibrate and cause the adjacent molecules to also vibrate and heat up.

• Convection- the movement of a fluid to transfer heat (Warm rises, Cold Sinks)

• Radiation- energy is given off as electromagnetic radiation

THE OCEANS AND THE ATMOSPHERE

• Without these two things, Earth would be un-inhabitable.

• The atmosphere helps to absorb heat from the Sun, so we stay warm enough to live.

• The oceans help to stabilize Earth’s general temperature.

• Both help to circulate the Sun’s heat.

GREENHOUSE GASES & THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

Greenhouse Gas: any gas that absorbs infrared radiation. Examples: Carbon Dioxide, Water Vapor, Methane

Greenhouse Effect: the natural heating of Earth due to these gases in the atmosphere

Enhanced Greenhouse/Global Warming: humans add more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, making Earth even warmer than it is supposed to be.

GREENHOUSE GASES & THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT