When saturated air is warmed, what happens?

What happens when air near the ground is warmed by sunlight?

  • Answer:

    Air near the ground is not directly heated by sunlight. Sunlight heats the surface of the Earth with (mostly) short-wave energy. The surface of the Earth absorbs this short-wave energy and emits long-wave energy. This long-wave energy is what heats air near the ground. When air is heated, it expands, becomes lighter, and rises higher in the atmosphere. This is the driving force behind all weather on the planet.

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