![]() ![]() These motions, such as wind patterns and ocean currents redistribute energy throughout the environment. Differences in the amount of energy absorbed in different places set the Atmosphere and oceans in motion and help determine their overall temperature and chemical structure. This energy flows into the Atmosphere and heats this system up It also heats up the Hydrosphere and the land surface of the Geosphere, and fuels many processes in the Biosphere. ![]() Energy CycleĮnergy from the Sun is the driver of many Earth System processes. The atmosphere is a totally integral part of the biological system.Diagram showing parts of the Earth system. Image Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.Įxplore the energy and matter cycles found within the Earth System. "It has created that atmosphere, and it has created circumstances to live in that atmosphere. "Earth needed the right atmosphere to get started," Frey said. So, Earth's atmosphere is life - and without it, life as we know it wouldn't exist. ![]() "Nobody ever really understood how hot it was." "The original Russian spaceships that went there just recorded for a few seconds and then got crushed," Frey said. For example, the pressure of Venus is about 90 atmospheres, the equivalent to diving 3,000 feet (914 meters) beneath the ocean on Earth. "The fact that Earth has an atmosphere is extremely unusual in respect of the planets in the solar system, in that it's very different from any of the other planets," Frey said. Surface temperatures there are hot enough to melt lead. According to NASA, the thick carbon dioxide atmosphere of Venus traps heat in a runaway greenhouse effect, making it the hottest planet in our solar system. Indeed, Venus' atmosphere is mainly carbon dioxide with clouds of sulfuric acid, the 'air' is so thick and hot that no human could breathe there. Mars and Venus have atmospheres, but they cannot support life (or, at least, not Earth-like life), because they don't have enough oxygen. Intriguingly, no other planet in the universe has an atmosphere like Earth's. In turn, the planet's climate gets warmer. As humans release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, Earth's greenhouse effect gets stronger, according to NCAR. However, today, greenhouse gases are out of control. ![]() Without the greenhouse effect, Earth's temperature would be below freezing. There are several different types of greenhouse gases the major ones are carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane and nitrous oxide. Meanwhile, the greenhouse effect means that energy from the sun that reaches Earth gets waylaid in the atmosphere, absorbed and released by greenhouse gases, according to the NCAR. Our atmosphere protects the Earth from the harsh rays of the sun and reduces temperature extremes, acting like a duvet wrapped around the planet. That atmosphere is also home to argon, carbon dioxide, water vapor and numerous other gases, according to the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Nowadays, Earth's atmosphere consists of approximately 80 percent nitrogen and 20 percent oxygen, Frey said. ![]()
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