Energy in the Atmosphere Shannon, Isabella, Raige

Energy from the sun Electromagnetic waves travel to Earth bringing energy from the sun. Radiation is the direct transfer from the sun. Energy from the sun arrives to Earth as visible light. The light are the colors of the rainbow (ROYGBIV) or red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

Energy in the atmosphere The suns rays have to pass through the atmosphere before hitting the Earth. But some of it is absorbed in the atmosphere before reaching Earth. Clouds in the atmosphere act as mirrors. They reflect some of the solar energy back into space.

Energy at earths surface Some of the energy is radiated back into the atmosphere in the form of infrared radiation when the Earths surface is heated.

Vocab Radiation- the direct transfer of energy through empty space by electromagnetic waves. Scatter- Reflection of light in all directions Infrared radiation-a form of energy with wavelengths that are longer than visible light Greenhouse effect- the process by which heat is trapped in the atmosphere by water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases that form a blanket around the earth. Ultraviolet- a form of energy with wavelengths that are than visible light. Electromagnetic waves-a form of energy that can travel through space.

Other Facts Three forms of radiation from the sun are visible light, infrared radiation and ultraviolet radiation. Energy from the sun that gets absorbed from the Earths surface turns into heat. The sky is blue because the gas molecules scatter small wave lengths like blue and violet. Life on Earth without the greenhouse effect would be different. The glaciers might not be melting because we would not be so hot. The Earth would be colder.

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