Energy is transferred from the sun to Earth via electromagnetic waves, or radiation. Most of the energy that passes through the upper atmosphere and reaches Earth's surface is in two forms, visible and infrared light. This region of the sun's interior is called the radiation zone because the energy is mainly transported via radiation, or the movement of photons. As the photons make their way outward in the star, the plasma is also getting relatively cooler. Radiation is the transfer of heat energy through space by electromagnetic radiation. Most of the electromagnetic radiation that comes to the earth from the sun is in the form of visible light. Light is made of waves of different frequencies. The original energy from the Sun is captured through photosynthesis and stored in chemical bonds as plants grow. This energy is then released millions of years later after these plants have transformed into fossil fuels. All fossil fuels are ultimately energy from sunlight. The Sun's radiation strikes the Earth's surface, thus warming it. As the surface's temperature rises due to conduction, heat energy is released into the atmosphere, forming a bubble of air that is warmer than the surrounding air. This bubble of air rises into the atmosphere. The sun's radiation heats the Earth's surface unevenly due to variations in landmasses, water bodies, and atmospheric conditions. Land areas heat up and cool down more quickly than water due to differences in specific heat capacity. The atmosphere reflects most of the heat back and only a portion of heat from Sun's radiation makes it through. The heat that does get through heats up the Earth more than the air in the atmosphere because in the air, the heat gets converted into kinetic energy of the molecules. Because Earth is a sphere and tilted on its axis, different regions on Earth receive different amounts of energy from the Sun. This uneven heating causes Earth's surface and atmosphere to be warmer near the equator than near the poles. Atmosphere does gets heat from the sun, but atmosphere heats from the bottom, because the atmosphere is transparent to the short wave radiation coming from the sun. So all the radiation from sun passes through the atmosphere like there is no medium, heating the earth surface. On Earth, light from the Sun supplies energy to heat the planet and maintain temperatures. Earth's surface heats unevenly because sunlight (solar radiation or light energy) strikes different parts of the planet more directly or less directly depending on latitude. Wind is caused by uneven heating of the earth's surface by the sun. Because the earth's surface is made up of different types of land and water, the earth absorbs the sun's heat at different rates.