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Physical Environment > Weather |
This site tells the story of the history of the universe. Click Earlier and Later to follow the story. Note: Many facts have been simplified to make them easier to understand. |
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Weather is the short term local changes to the Earth's atmosphere, such as wind and rain.
Weather is driven by sunlight. Hot air expands and rises. Cold air sinks down and moves in to take its place, creating wind. Winds are also affected by the spinning of the Earth, so that instead of going straight they spiral around. Water evaporates from the oceans to form clouds which are carried around by the winds. When clouds pass over mountains they rise, cool and rain falls. Evaporation and condensation absorb and release heat, so making the picture more complex. If it rains on high mountains or near the Earth's poles the rain will fall as snow which reflects back the sunlight, so cooling the Earth. Just as the Sun makes the air move, so it also makes the oceans move. Their movement is controlled by how much salt they contain too. Wind and water act together to produce a complex pattern. Even with weather stations and satellites, with the best computers in the world and years of practice, experts still can only predict the weather for a few hours ahead. |
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Physical Environment > Weather |
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Basic Information |
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