Where does Earth’s energy come from, and how does it move around? How does this affect our climates and biomes?

How energy from the sun interacts with Earth plays an important role in the creation of Earth’s climates and biomes. The different ways energy is moved around Earth create the weather patterns that we see.

This section will teach you what a biome is and why it is important to the diversity of life on Earth. You will learn the different parts within the biosphere and how they interact. You will study in detail the movement of the sun’s energy and the relationship between that energy and the different parts of Earth. Finally, you will study each type of biome found on Earth and their interactions.

1. describe the major characteristics of the three parts of the biosphere: the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the lithosphere
   

2. identify the sun as the source of all energy on Earth and analyze, in general terms, how that energy interacts with Earth
   

3. describe a biome as an open system and explain how climate affects the lives of people and other species
   

4. describe the relationship between solar energy and the seasons and explain how thermal energy movement through the atmosphere and hydrosphere affects climate

5. relate the characteristics of two major biomes to radiant energy and climate