A study on the influence of the sun on climate and weather patterns in the earth

Type :

Term papers

Pages :

9 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

05/28/2009

Category :

Science & technology

Sub category :

Geology

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Summary :

Introduction
Temperature
1. Sunspots
The water cycle and winds
1. Rain and storm
2. Cloud formation
Solar winds and other phenomenon
1. Solar winds
2. Solar flares
Conclusion
Bibliography

Abstract

The sun is a burning ball of mostly gaseous hydrogen with a surface temperature of 6000 degrees centigrade, large enough to hold a million Earths. The importance of the sun rests on the fact that it warms the surface of an otherwise cold and lifeless earth and makes possible the existence of life on this planet. The remarkable aspect of the sun's energy is that it reaches earth at just the right level to sustain human needs. If the earth were a little distance closer to the sun, the water in the oceans would boil off, and if the earth were a little further away from the sun, all water would remain frozen. Another remarkable feature is the energy reaching earth through 93 million miles of emptiness, when vacuum does not usually transmit heat.The sun has powered almost everything on earth since life began, and the fact that the sun plays a critical part in the earth's climate system is indisputable. The very word climate derives from the Greek word "klimat", meaning inclination or latitude, and the earliest scientific speculations on the different climates based only how sunlight falls on the different places of the earth. When renaissance scientists began to ponder the possibility of climate change, their thoughts naturally turned to the sun. Early modern scientists found it plausible that the sun could not burn forever, and speculated about a slow deterioration of the earth's climate as the fuel ran out. Later research revealed that the sun has an annual and seasonal impact on the climate, changing the character of each hemisphere as earth's orientation shifts through the year. Developments in technology enabled scientists to conclude that the climate of the earth depends on the delicate balance between incoming solar radiation, outgoing thermal radiation, and the composition of earth's atmosphere, with even small changes in these parameters affecting climate.