earthopedia

Storms & Clouds

2008-08-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

Storms bring Clouds, Rain, Lightning and Thunder. The hot spark of electricity, which is formed when clouds come near each other, and then strikes the ground, is called Lightning. This spark causes a loud noise called Thunder. We hear the thunder after we see the lightning. This is because the speed of light is more than that of sound. The electricity causes a brilliant flash of lightning. Clouds are made from millions of tiny droplets of water. There are different types of clouds. The thunderclouds are the largest. Some clouds cause damage. They can rip up trees and buildings. Hurricanes and Tornadoes are such type of clouds. The lightning in the clouds is also caused by electricity.

Weather, Climate, Atmosphere

2008-07-31T03:03:00.000-07:00

Weather consists of the day-by-day, and week-by-week changes in the atmosphere. We notice it as Sunshine, Cloud Cover, Temperature, Wind, Rain or lack of it, Frost, Snow and Ice. The weather is caused by Air, Sun and Water. Air is always on the move and makes the Wind. The Sun gives warmth, Water makes clouds, rain, snow and hail. In very cold regions ice and snow cover the land for most of the year. Fog and mist are clouds floating near the Earth's surface. It is very difficult to see things clearly, when it is foggy. Snowflakes are water drops that have frozen into ice crystals. This water cycle helps us to use the water on Earth over and over again. The Sun's heat turns the water in Sea and other water bodies into water vapors. As the air rises, it cools downs and turns the water vapors into tiny drops of water. Clouds are made from these drops of water. Water in the clouds falls as rain, hail, sleet or snow. Rivers carry the water back to the sea. Different instruments are used to measure the pressure and temperature of the air. If the pressure in the air changes, it usually means there will be a change in the weather too. A thermometre is used to measure temperatre of the air. Climate denotes the pattern of weather over a long time period of years, decades and centuries.
Climate determines the kind of plants and crops that can be grown in different regions. The Sun's heat warms up different parts of the land and sea in varying degrees. Warm air rises and cool air moves to take its place. This large-scale air movement in the atmosphere is called wind. Most regions are naturally adopted to the average rainfall they receive. When execssive rain occurs, the streams and rivers cannot cope and overflow their banks, causing floods. Some regions may also have extra rainfall because of GLOBAL WARMING. Life is less in the desert because of the scarcity of water in all its forms such as rain, mist, fog, hail, dew, snow and frost. A thin blanket of gases called the atmosphere is wrapped around our planet. Without the atmosphere our planet would be as lifeless as the Moon. It gives us air to breathe and water to drink.

Source : Pentagon Press - Earth

Earth Facts v.2

2008-07-31T03:00:00.000-07:00

* If the Earth was the size of an apple, the atmosphere would be no thicker than the skin of the apple.
* The Jet Stream has been measured over the eastern Pacific during the winter, at speeds in excess of 460 km/hr (286 mph).
* No two people see the same rainbow. Although many people may see a rainbow at the same time, the rainbow each individual sees is formed by the reflection of specific raindrops that fall upon the observer's eyes. A person next to you will see a rainbow formed from different droplets than the one you see, and thus it is a different rainbow.
* Highs are cool and dry, Lows are warm and wet.
* Wind is due to unequal cooling that causes air pressure differences.

Earth Facts v.1

2008-07-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

* our Earth is orbiting the Sun at more than 107,000 km/hr; but we feel as if we are standing still..!
* to reach the center of our Earth, we will have to dig down 6,378 kms..!
* about 22 kilometers above the Earth is a layer of OZONE (a form of oxygen) that shelters humans and other forms of life from the Sun's most harmful ultraviolet rays.
* if you ever held a compass, you know that something causes the needle to point north. That "something" is the magnetic field that surrounds the Earth.

The Earth

2008-07-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

The Earth is our planet. It is a giant ball of solids, liquids and gases spinning in space around the Sun. The Earth is the only planet where life exists. This is made possible because of the light and heat it receives from Sun. Large oceans of water cover most of the Earth's surface. A blanket of air called the atmosphere surrounds the Earth. Air, Water and the Heat and Light provided by the Sun supports life on Earth. If we look at Earth from space, we can see swirling white patterns made by clouds in the atmosphere. Our planet Earth rotates on its own axis and revolves around the Sun. Rotation makes days and nights, while revolution causes weather changes. The rocky surface on the Earth is called the crust. This crust is made up of many different types of rocks such as Sandstone, Limestone, Marble, Granite etc. Under this crust is a layer called the Mantle. Its outer core consists of very hot runny metal, while the inner core is made up of solid metal. The solid inner core is the hottest part of the Earth. The Earth's rigid crust and the firm upper layer of the mantle, the lithosphere, which is about 100 kilometres thick. The lithosphere plates move and change shape, driven by the incredible heat, pressure and movement in the mantle. The surface of Earth keeps constantly changing. Over millions of years rocks buckle into mountains, and great continents drift around the globe. Volcanoes erupt and earthquakes split landscape, when parts of the Earth's crust push against each other or move apart. Daily weather patterns change over sea and land.

Our Earth

2008-07-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

Our Earth is a part of the Universe, which also includes the Sun, the Moon, all the planets and the stars. Different galaxies, comets and clouds of dust and gas, are also a part of the universe. There are millions of stars in the universe and our Sun is one of them. Our Earth is one of the planets that revolve around the Sun.

Humanity's Carbon Footprint !

2008-05-24T13:25:00.000-07:00

Equally if not more important as the measurement of our waistline or the value of our bank account is the size of our Carbon Footprint. The carbon footprint, measured in CARBON DIOXIDE units, calculates the impact human beings have on the environment in terms of the amount of GREENHOUSE GASES produced.

Both our direct emissions of CARBON DIOXIDE, like the burning of fossil fuels and the indirect emissions of CARBON DIOXIDE as a result of the manufacture and breakdown of everyday products are calculated into the Carbon Footprint measurement. Commonplace activities like eating red meat and drinking bottled water are slowly but surely contributing to the devastation of our environment.

What is Global Warming?

2008-05-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

In the simplest terms, GLOBAL WARMING is just what it sounds like: the worldwide rise in surface temperatures. The National Academy of Science has put the rise at 1 degree F over the course of the 20th century, but measurements from satellites of both land and sea surfaces are showing that the rate of warming is increasing sharply.

It's more than just surface temperatures that are going up, however. A lot of research into temperature changes in the upper layers of the atmosphere, as well as the deep oceans, is showing warming. Then, there are the more obvious signs: the rapid retreat of glaciers in Greenland, Alaska, the Himalaya, the Antarctic Peninsula and on high tropical mountains; the thinning and disappearance of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean during summer; the melting of permafrost in Canada, Alaska and Siberia; and the rise of sea level and an increase in extreme weather.

The cause of GLOBAL WARMING is what's called the "GREENHOUSE EFFECT." That's shorthand for the ability of gases in the atmosphere to slow down the release of heat into space at night. Some gases are better at this than others. Carbon Dioxide, Methane and Nitrous Oxide are the top three "GREENHOUSE GASES". They are very good at absorbing sunlight and converting that energy into heat – rather like a rock does just sitting in the sun.

Surprisingly, the GREENHOUSE EFFECT isn't a bad thing. It's essential for LIFE ON EARTH – when it's not too vigorous. If not for the GREENHOUSE EFFECT, the temperature on the surface of EARTH would be like that of the airless moon – swinging wildly from 225 degrees F (107 C) during the day to -243 degrees F (-153 C) at night. Not a good place for life.

The GREENHOUSE EFFECT is only troublesome when it gets too strong and warms things too much. And that's just what scientists say has happened over the last 150 years or so as the people of industrialized nations have extracted EARTH'S vast buried stores of FOSSIL FUELS and BURNED them. Since the start of the Industrial Revolution the atmospheric concentration of Carbon Dioxide has increased nearly 30 percent, Methane has more than doubled, and the Nitrous Oxide concentration is up about 15 percent. All those extra GREENHOUSE GASES mean more and more solar energy is being trapped in the atmosphere, exacerbating the GREENHOUSE EFFECT and making things warmer.

The result: 2005 was EARTH'S warmest year in a century, according to NASA climatologists. The years 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2004 were the next four runners-up. The year 2005 was also a record-breaking year for Atlantic Hurricanes in which the coastal city of New Orleans – made all the more vulnerable because of sea level rise – was almost wiped off the map by Hurricane Katrina.

Of course, because the effects of GLOBAL WARMING on local climates are very complicated, it remains to be seen exactly how different regions will feel the heat. "GLOBAL WARMING" is a term that's extremely useful when you're running a PLANET," says Mr. J Cox, author of the book Climate Crash. "But it's regional change that affects people. It's the wet and cold and hot and dry".

That's why climate modelers are constantly refining their simulations, and climate scientists continue to refine our view of past climate changes to create a better idea of what to expect.

earthfully earth's,
.::schueyF1 setus::.
My source : Great Discovery.com

earth

2008-05-11T02:06:00.000-07:00

earth /3:Θ/ noun 1 planet we live on (also Earth). 2 land and sea as opposed to sky. 3 ground. 4 soli, mould. 5 this world as opposed to heaven or hell. 6 Electricity connection to earth as completion of circuit. 7 hole of fox etc. ● verb 1 Electricity connect to earth. 2 cover (roots) with earth. □ earthwork bank of earth in fortification. earthworm worm living in earth. run to earth find after long search. ■ noun 4 clay, dirt, ground, humus, loam, mould, soil, topsoil.
source : earth from Oxford Dictionary.

earthopedia

2008-05-04T04:18:00.000-07:00

a blog for Climate Change / Global Warming info..

all that i found intresting & informative about Climate Change / Global Warming and was very like desperate for sharing it with all of us, the children of our Maa-Earth..
and hense the name "Earthopedia" arrived in my mind..