The sun is the major source of energy for the planet earth. Most of the energy is absorbed by the atmosphere and the solid earth. Solar energy forms by continuous explosive nuclear reactions that occur within the interior of the sun causing great amounts of solar energy to radiate from the sun’s surface. The energy generated from the sun then travels through space in the form of electromagnetic radiation. The waves are characterized by their lengths. Thus the air is warmed and radiates energy in the form of very long infrared waves. An equilibrium is established between the solar energy from the sun, the heating of the earth and its atmosphere, and the reradiation back to space of heat energy.
Only infrared waves with wavelengths between seven to thirteen micrometers can easily pass through the atmosphere and out into space. Infrared waves possessing this characteristic are referred to as “windows” because they pass through the earth’s atmosphere as if there is nothing in its path. As the atmospheric gases absorbs the infrared energy’s waves, it becomes warmer and gives off infrared energy into the atmosphere. Dust within the environment, along with clouds, scatter some light back to space. Even though small amounts of carbon dioxide and water vapor absorb the infrared waves, the majority of the energy is absorbed by vegetation, rocks and water. Carbon dioxide and water vapor in the air absorb the infrared waves. This results in the trapping of heat energy in the low part of the earth’s atmosphere. The trapping of heat in the lowest layer of the atmosphere is referred to as the “greenhouse effect”.
Now that the students are introduced to the interaction of the four major layers of the atmosphere that surround planet earth, they realize that they do utilize the atmosphere in some manner and the atmosphere itself does interact with. However, I would like to focus mainly on the tropospheric layer because it houses the air we breathe and planet earth which provides us with our means of survival.
Our civilization has made insurmountable gains technologically. However, through our eagerness to invent more, produce more, and gain new height; we fail to reflect -until recently- on how we are affecting our means of survival.
Finally we are realizing the necessity of the need to recycle. Children also should be introduced to the fact that planet earth naturally recycles the elements that we need in order to survive. This can be seen through several of the natural cycles that I will present to you within this section of the paper. I will briefly describe just a few of these cycles including the carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles. We must keep in mind that a cycle has no true beginning or end but it continues to repeat itself over and over again.