Understanding Earth’s energy balance is essential to understanding the issue of global warming. For example, the solar energy striking Earth’s surface averages 168 watts per square metre (W/m2), but the energy leaving Earth’s surface averages 390 (W/m2). Why isn’t Earth cooling rapidly? The emitted heat energy is mainly retained by the atmosphere thus the Earth does not cool rapidly even though the… Read more →
Author: Melvin
Ozone
The ozone layer is an important layer in the Earth’s atmosphere. It is primarily contained in the stratosphere, about 90%. There are about 3 molecules of ozone per 100 million molecules which makes the concentration of ozone very low. It helps to absorb UV-B and all UV-C rays which are detrimental to human health and can cause skin cancer. Read more →