How does the temperature on the earths surface affect the air above it?

Answer 1

Thermal energy passes from the surface of the earth to the air above it primarily through convection. Most of the radiant heat passes through the air and goes out into space, unless it is blocked by a cloud or greenhouse gases.

Answer 2

Conduction is the process by which heat passes between most any material to reach equilibrium. Convection then affects the heat in liquids and gasses, as hot air rises and cold air descends. This then affects the whole of the atmosphere, causing most, if not all, of weather effects.

Answer 3

The simplest answer is that rotation of the earth about its axis exposes different sides of the earth to the sun in on a continuous basis. Additionally, the rotation of the earth about the sun causes the change of seasons. The atmosphere of the earth (and the earth itself) absorb energy, and serve to moderate the effects of the energy absorbtion. This generates weather, and considering weather over a period of time reveals climate. There are whole books and whole college courses that speak to this question, and there is no detailed answer that will fit on a page here.

Answer 4

As the earth revolves around the sun. The tilt of the earth on it's axis allows more direct sunlight on certain parts of the earth at particular times of the year. The axis points in the same direction with respect to the stars (well it takes 22000 years for the axis to complete one precession but that does not affect this discussion). In July the northern hemisphere is warmer because it is tilted toward the sun and in January the Southern Hemisphere receives more direct radiation.

Local surface temperature is directly proportional to the angle of incidence of solar rays striking the ground. With the axis of rotation at about 23,5° degrees to the plane of the orbit, different areas of the globe will get different angles of insolaration at various times of the year (as well as of course at different time of the day.

Answer 5

The atmosphere moderates temperature changes, keeping the surface warm at night and cool in the day.

Without an atmosphere on Earth the temperature would probably go from about +100 degrees to -100 degrees every 24 hours. The atmosphere keeps it nicely within a range of ten degrees usually.

Carbon dioxide allows radiant heat through to the Earth's surface but blocks heat being radiated away from the surface which is at a relatively low temperature. So it produces a 'greenhouse' effect which raises the surface temperature, but only by a little at present.

On Venus, which has a 95% carbon dioxide atmosphere, the greenhouse effect has made the surface temperature 400-500 degrees C.

Answer 6

As the Earth gets warmer, glaciers melt and the sea level rises. If the Earth was getting colder, glaciers would be getting larger and the sea level would be falling.

Answer 7

In the troposphere, the air closer to the surface is warmer as the radiation from the sun warms the crust. The convective heat transfer causes thermals.