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Table of Contents Sun: Is it responsible for certain phenomena? pg. 3

Ocean Currents pg. 3

The Water Cycle pg. 4

Plant Growth pg. 5

Wind pg.6

Wind: How does it blow? pg.7

Seasons: Why do they happen? pg.9

Energy: How does it interact with Earth’s

atmosphere? pg.11

Works Cited pg.13

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THE SUN Is it responsible for certain phenomena?

Ocean Currents

The Sun is a key

factor to almost

everything on this

planet. Being the main

source of energy, the

Sun affects many

phenomena that take

place on Earth. Ocean

currents, for example,

are greatly influenced by

the sun. Sun is responsible for wind, which causes friction in the

surface of the sea. The friction causes the water to move in the

direction of the wind, creating an ocean current. Wind can be very

fast and blow extremely hard, but it can only reach about 100

meter deep in the ocean. Because of this, most ocean currents flow

close to the surface.

Ocean currents are also affected by the Sun because it

changes the water’s temperature and salinity. Colder and saltier

due to evaporation water is less dense. The difference in density

between currents it what allows them to flow along or past each

other. It results in thermohaline circulation, which causes great

cold, salty currents to move from the Northern Atlantic to the

Northern Pacific and bring fresh water back to the starting point.

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The Water Cycle

The sun also has a great influence on the water cycle, for it

actually conducts it. The water cycle consists of four stages:

evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. Even

though it is a never-ending cycle, it starts with evaporation. The

sun heats the bodies of water in Earth (oceans, lakes, and rivers)

and causes the molecules in them to move faster. The molecules

move faster and faster until they reach the point of evaporation,

which is when the water has reached a temperature of 100° C at

sea level. The water evaporates and becomes cooler as it rises. Once

it is cool enough, it condenses into clouds. Later it rains, or

precipitates. The water that falls is either absorbed by soil or flows

back into the oceans or lakes eventually.

If it was not because the Sun causes evaporation, the water

cycle would cease to exit. Therefore, clouds, rain, and even

weather would disappear as well. Water in Earth will be static and

most likely frozen because there would be no sun warming it.

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Plant growth

Plant growth depends greatly on

the sun, too. In facts, it is directly

involved with sunlight. Plants need

light to live. Artificial light serves

allows year-round growth and a very

effective production. However, it does

not give a plant half the nutrients

natural sunlight does. Plants depend of

light for food, growth, and health. Most

plants have a pigment named

chlorophyll, which gives them the

color green. Chlorophyll, though, has a

much more important role than just the

giving a plant its color. This pigment absorbs sunlight and uses it

for the process of photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, plants

break down carbon dioxide and converts in into organic

compounds. Plants release oxygen as a result of photosynthesis.

Without photosynthesis,

there would not be enough

oxygen in this planet to

support life.

In the end, plants

would not be able to grow

and feed without the

energy from the sun. They

would not be able of

producing or blooming.

Because of it, the energy

from the sun is essential to

life on Earth.

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Wind

Winds are another phenomena influenced largely by the sun.

Winds are created when air within the atmosphere is heat up

because of solar radiation. The heat causes warm air to become

lighter and rise. At the same time, cold air is heavier, so it sinks on

top of the warm air. This causes pressure. The differences in

pressure between airs cause it to flow in the form of wind.

Similarly to the water cycle, the whole process starts due to

solar radiation.

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WIND How does it blow?

Wind is the

movement of air

that moves from

an area of higher

pressure to an

area of lower

pressure. When

winds are created

in the atmosphere,

they flow in

different

directions due to

many reasons. On earth, many winds originate in the Equatorial

regions, for they are heated the most because the sun rays hit them

more directly. Air in the Equator heats and rises, leaving low

pressure areas behind. About 30° North and 30° sound from the

Equator, most air sinks. Some of the sinking air goes back to the

Equator and the rest flow toward the poles.

Because Earth rotates, winds don’t flow directly. A result of

Earth’s rotation is the Corilis Effect. When air moves from high o

low pressure in the Northern Hemisphere, it is defected to the right

due to the Corilis Effect. Meanwhile, in the southern hemisphere

winds are deflected left for the same reason.

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The way wind deflects depends on its speed and location.

Winds traveling at a fast speed will be greatly deflected while slow

wind won’t be largely deflected. As the winds blow closer to the

pole, the Corilis Effect acts more strongly. On the Equator, though,

the Corilis Effect does not act at all.

After rising in the Equator and sinking again, some winds

blow back to the equator. These are called trade winds. They are

characterized because they are commonly warm, continuous

breezes. Trade winds meet near the Equator, collide, and cause

upward winds.

The winds that don’t return to the Equator move either North

or South. Winds that blow to the North are called prevailing

westerlies. Prevailing westerlies are mainly responsible for the

weather of the United States and Canada. In either the North or the

South, prevailing westerlies meet polar easterlies, which form

when the atmosphere in the poles cools and causes cold air to sink

and spread throughout the surface.

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SEASONS Why do they happen?

Seasons are caused by the position of the

Earth and the solar light. The Earth’s

axis is tilted perpendicularly. Because of this slight tilt of 23.45°,

different areas of the planet receive direct light throughout the

year.

The Earth revolves around the sun all year long, with allows

all the most areas of the globe be oriented toward the sun at some

point. In the months of June, July, and August, for example, the

Northern Hemisphere is oriented towards the sun. Because of that,

those are

months of

summer. Temperatures rise and days last longer because sunlight

hits the area directly. During the same time, the southern

hemisphere is oriented opposite to the sun, which is why winter

takes place. Temperatures decrease and days are shorter because

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sun rays reach the area at an extreme angle. Spring and autumn

happen when the place or area is neither oriented nor disoriented

towards the sun.

In some areas of the globe –like the Equatorials and the Poles

– seasons don’t occur as accurately as in other parts. The reason is

that the Equatorials, since they are in the middle of the Earth,

always receive sunlight at an even angle that does not vary greatly.

As for the poles, sunlight reaches them at a very extreme

angle. Because of that, in the poles (especially in Antarctica) there

can be 6 months of unceasing sunlight and 6 months of complete

darkness.

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ENERGY How does it interact

with Earth’s

atmosphere?

Within the atmosphere, energy is transferred though

conduction, convection, and radiation. Pretty much all the

energy that reaches the atmosphere –and then the Earth-

comes from the sun. Solar energy reaches the earth through

electromagnetic waves. The transfer of energy through

electromagnetic waves is radiation. Some of the energy that

reaches the atmosphere is absorbed by substances within

the atmosphere such as ozone. Contrarily, the remaining

energy is reflected back into space. Some of this energy

reaches the Earth and is reflected while other does not even

penetrate the atmosphere.

Because air is an insulator and not a conductor of heat,

most conduction happens in Earth’s surface and not in the

atmosphere anymore. Nevertheless, solar radiation, which

causes heat in Earth’s ground, first goes through the

atmosphere.

Convection occurs in great amounts in the

atmosphere, for it precisely occurs in fluids that allow heat

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to move more freely. In fact, winds are caused by

convection in the atmosphere. Hot air rises and cold air

sinks, which allows heat and moisture to be distributed

evenly throughout the atmosphere. Clouds and storms form

from rising hot air.

The atmosphere evenly distributes heat on the Earth’s

surface. It controls the energy that comes in and the one

that does not. Regrettably, today global warming is causing

the atmosphere to deteriorate and to interact with energy in

different manners, causing temperatures to rise and heat to

be distributed unevenly.

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