In order to fly safely, airplane pilots and designers need to understand how the weather works. Weather is the result of energy being exchanged between the sun, the earth, the atmosphere, and space.

The sun gives off a lot of energy but only a small bit actually reaches the earth's atmosphere. Because the earth is round, the middle of the earth gets more energy than the top or the bottom. When the North Pole is tilted toward the sun, the northern half of the earth gets more daylight and experiences summer. When the North Pole is tilted away from the sun, the northern half experiences shorter days and winter.

The sun's energy is transferred to the earth in a process called radiation. Radiation transfers energy in waves. These waves are either absorbed by the atmosphere, reflected from the clouds, snow or sand, or scattered.

Only a small amount of the sun's energy actually reaches the earth's surface. Hot air from the earth rises and helps heat up the atmosphere. As the warm air moves, it warms the surrounding air. This process is called convection.

The amount of energy absorbed by the earth and its atmosphere is always the same as the amount put out by the earth and the atmosphere. This keeps the temperature of the earth and the atmosphere in balance.

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Last modified: Tue May 12 14:30:38 PDT 1998

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