Weather, Climate, Atmosphere

Weather consists of the day-by-day, and week-by-week changes in the atmosphere. We notice it as Sunshine, Cloud Cover, Temperature, Wind, Rain or lack of it, Frost, Snow and Ice. The weather is caused by Air, Sun and Water. Air is always on the move and makes the Wind. The Sun gives warmth, Water makes clouds, rain, snow and hail. In very cold regions ice and snow cover the land for most of the year. Fog and mist are clouds floating near the Earth's surface. It is very difficult to see things clearly, when it is foggy. Snowflakes are water drops that have frozen into ice crystals. This water cycle helps us to use the water on Earth over and over again. The Sun's heat turns the water in Sea and other water bodies into water vapors. As the air rises, it cools downs and turns the water vapors into tiny drops of water. Clouds are made from these drops of water. Water in the clouds falls as rain, hail, sleet or snow. Rivers carry the water back to the sea. Different instruments are used to measure the pressure and temperature of the air. If the pressure in the air changes, it usually means there will be a change in the weather too. A thermometre is used to measure temperatre of the air. Climate denotes the pattern of weather over a long time period of years, decades and centuries.
Climate determines the kind of plants and crops that can be grown in different regions. The Sun's heat warms up different parts of the land and sea in varying degrees. Warm air rises and cool air moves to take its place. This large-scale air movement in the atmosphere is called wind. Most regions are naturally adopted to the average rainfall they receive. When execssive rain occurs, the streams and rivers cannot cope and overflow their banks, causing floods. Some regions may also have extra rainfall because of GLOBAL WARMING. Life is less in the desert because of the scarcity of water in all its forms such as rain, mist, fog, hail, dew, snow and frost. A thin blanket of gases called the atmosphere is wrapped around our planet. Without the atmosphere our planet would be as lifeless as the Moon. It gives us air to breathe and water to drink.

Source : Pentagon Press - Earth

Earth Facts v.2

* If the Earth was the size of an apple, the atmosphere would be no thicker than the skin of the apple.
* The Jet Stream has been measured over the eastern Pacific during the winter, at speeds in excess of 460 km/hr (286 mph).
* No two people see the same rainbow. Although many people may see a rainbow at the same time, the rainbow each individual sees is formed by the reflection of specific raindrops that fall upon the observer's eyes. A person next to you will see a rainbow formed from different droplets than the one you see, and thus it is a different rainbow.
* Highs are cool and dry, Lows are warm and wet.
* Wind is due to unequal cooling that causes air pressure differences.

Earth Facts v.1

* our Earth is orbiting the Sun at more than 107,000 km/hr; but we feel as if we are standing still..!
* to reach the center of our Earth, we will have to dig down 6,378 kms..!
* about 22 kilometers above the Earth is a layer of OZONE (a form of oxygen) that shelters humans and other forms of life from the Sun's most harmful ultraviolet rays.
* if you ever held a compass, you know that something causes the needle to point north. That "something" is the magnetic field that surrounds the Earth.

The Earth

The Earth is our planet. It is a giant ball of solids, liquids and gases spinning in space around the Sun. The Earth is the only planet where life exists. This is made possible because of the light and heat it receives from Sun. Large oceans of water cover most of the Earth's surface. A blanket of air called the atmosphere surrounds the Earth. Air, Water and the Heat and Light provided by the Sun supports life on Earth. If we look at Earth from space, we can see swirling white patterns made by clouds in the atmosphere. Our planet Earth rotates on its own axis and revolves around the Sun. Rotation makes days and nights, while revolution causes weather changes. The rocky surface on the Earth is called the crust. This crust is made up of many different types of rocks such as Sandstone, Limestone, Marble, Granite etc. Under this crust is a layer called the Mantle. Its outer core consists of very hot runny metal, while the inner core is made up of solid metal. The solid inner core is the hottest part of the Earth. The Earth's rigid crust and the firm upper layer of the mantle, the lithosphere, which is about 100 kilometres thick. The lithosphere plates move and change shape, driven by the incredible heat, pressure and movement in the mantle. The surface of Earth keeps constantly changing. Over millions of years rocks buckle into mountains, and great continents drift around the globe. Volcanoes erupt and earthquakes split landscape, when parts of the Earth's crust push against each other or move apart. Daily weather patterns change over sea and land.

Our Earth

Our Earth is a part of the Universe, which also includes the Sun, the Moon, all the planets and the stars. Different galaxies, comets and clouds of dust and gas, are also a part of the universe. There are millions of stars in the universe and our Sun is one of them. Our Earth is one of the planets that revolve around the Sun.