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  Up In The Air

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  The Greenhouse Effect

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ecause the Earth is spherical and not flat, the Sun's warm radiant energy doesn't fall evenly on the land and seas. The Sun shines more directly on the regions around the Equator, heating them more intensely so that they are warm all year long. However, the Polar regions are at such an angle to the Sun that they get little or no sunlight during the winter, causing them to be cold and ice-bound even in summer.

These differences in temperature set in motion a restless movement of air and water in great swirling, churning currents to distribute heat energy from the Sun across the planet from the warm Equator to the cold Poles. When air in one region is warmer than the surrounding air, it becomes less dense and begins to rise, drawing more air in underneath. Elsewhere, cooler denser air sinks, pushing air outward to flow along the surface and complete the cycle.

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