Lesson 3 The Sun and the Climate
Completion requirements
Introduction
The sun is the root cause of all the different climates on Earth.
D3.1 Sunny day over a canola field
Each region or biome on Earth will absorb or reflect different amounts of the sun’s energy depending on many different factors. In this lesson, we will look at what these factors are and we will look at each biome to determine how those factors
create the specific conditions of that biome.
Understanding how climates and biomes are created and maintained will help you understand how changing these factors effects Earth.
Understanding how climates and biomes are created and maintained will help you understand how changing these factors effects Earth.
Targets
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to- describe the relationships between solar energy reaching Earth’s surface and the time of year, angle of inclination, length of daylight, cloud cover, albedo effect, and aerosol or particulate distribution
- explain how thermal energy transfer through the atmosphere and hydrosphere affects climate
- relate the characteristics of two major biomes to solar radiation and climatic factors
Watch This
Seasons and the Sun: Crash Course Kids 11.1 © YouTube Crash Course Kids
Watch this video for an overview of how the sun creates the seasons and ultimately the climate. This video goes through a great explanation on how the Earth is tilted and how it rotates around the sun.