Atmospheric heating primarily occurs through a process involving the absorption of solar radiation by the Earth's surface, followed by the transfer of heat into the atmosphere.
The Process Explained
The process can be broken down into the following steps:
- Solar Radiation: The sun emits radiation that reaches the Earth.
- Surface Absorption: The Earth's surface, including land and water, absorbs this solar radiation.
- Conduction & Heating: According to the provided reference, the sun's radiation strikes the ground, thus warming the rocks. As the rock's temperature rises due to conduction, heat energy is released into the atmosphere.
- Convection: This released heat forms a bubble of air which is warmer than the surrounding air. This warm air is less dense and rises into the atmosphere. This rising of warm air is called convection.
- Atmospheric Warming: As warm air rises, it cools and eventually descends, creating convection currents that distribute heat throughout the atmosphere.
- Greenhouse Effect: Certain gases in the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide and water vapor, trap some of the outgoing infrared radiation from the Earth, further warming the atmosphere. This is known as the greenhouse effect.
In essence, the atmosphere is primarily heated from below by the Earth's surface, which has been warmed by the sun. This is why temperatures generally decrease with altitude in the lower atmosphere (troposphere).
