What is the major source of energy and the driving energy source of the water cycle and how is energy exchanged between the atmosphere and oceans?
The sun is the main source of energy that drives the water cycle. Deposition from ice can cause slow changes to Earth's surface. The sun is what makes the water cycle work. The sun provides what almost everything on Earth needs to go energy, or heat. The water cycle is driven primarily by the energy from the sun. This solar energy drives the cycle by evaporating water from the oceans, lakes, rivers, and even the soil. Other water moves from plants to the atmosphere through the process of transpiration. Energy is transferred in the atmosphere, ocean, and Earth's interior system by three processes: convection, conduction, and radiation. These processes can all occur at the same time on either a small or large scale. There is also a strong coupling found between the atmosphere and ocean. Thermal energy also moves within the ocean and within the atmosphere through the process of convection. During convection, cooler water or air sinks, and warmer water or air rises. This movement causes currents. Ocean currents are like rivers of water moving through the sea. The ocean and the atmosphere form a complex coupled system, exchanging gases, water and water vapour particles, momentum, and energy at the air-sea interface. These exchanges affect the biological, chemical, and physical processes of the ocean and influence the water cycle, weather, and climate. Because air currents and ocean currents work together to redistribute heat, the general circulation of the atmosphere is closely related to the general circulation of the ocean. Winds blowing over the sea surface produce ocean currents. Winds also evaporate water, which precipitates elsewhere as rain. When energy from the Sun reaches the Earth, it warms the atmosphere, land, and ocean and evaporates water. The movement of water from the ocean to the atmosphere to the land and back to the ocean the water cycle is fueled by energy from the Sun. Changes in the energy cycle will ripple into the water cycle. Energy is transferred in the atmosphere, ocean, and Earth's interior system by three processes: convection, conduction, and radiation. These processes can all occur at the same time on either a small or large scale. There is also a strong coupling found between the atmosphere and ocean.
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