What Effect Does the Sun’s Energy Have to Do with the Weather on the Earth?

GEOG 3510 – 850, ‘Introduction to Meteorology:’ Point Paper Date March 10, 2011

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What effect does the Sun’s energy have to do with the weather on the Earth? If it does, how does it influence the atmosphere and our day today weather? What are the implications?

Of the many objects in the universe, only two are essential for life as we know it: the Earth itself, and the Sun: the star around which it circles, year after year. Burning steadily in stable, middle age, the Sun--now about five billion years old--provides an unfailing source of light and energy. (Windows to the Universe, 2008) The Sun's heat is so intense that at a distance of 93 million miles it warms the surface of the otherwise cold and lifeless Earth to 0° Fahrenheit. With a warmed Earth, the solid Earth releases a portion of its heat in the form of infrared radiation, which is trapped by greenhouse gases, further raising the surface temperature to a comfortable 59° F. In this way, the Sun's radiation and the Earth's blanket of greenhouse gases sustain the global temperature at a level capable of supporting life. Sunlight also powers photosynthesis, and provides energy for the atmospheric and oceanic circulations that greatly affect all living things.
Like the concentrations of greenhouse gases, solar activity has risen systematically through the past 100 years. The number of sunspots is a big indicator of greenhouse gas presence. The burning of fossil fuels that has led to an increase in greenhouse gases has introduced an ever-increasing load of sulfate aerosols, which also affect the temperature at the surface of the Earth. Other potential causes of climate change include the depletion of stratospheric ozone in recent decades and global changes in the surface reflectivity as we change the patterns of vegetation that cover the land. In conjunction with possible internal system changes such as variations in ocean circulation, these influences define the most likely causes of...