The uneven heating of the earth by the sun is due to the earth's relationship with the sun and the solar energy that the sun provides. One of the main factors influencing this uneven warming is due to the angle at which the sun hits the earth. The Earth is shaped like a flattened sphere that rotates around its axis tilted 23 degrees from east to west. One rotation around its axis is equivalent to twenty-four hours, or one day. The earth also revolves around the sun in one revolution or one year. Depending on Earth's orbit around the sun, the axis may be tilted toward or away from the sun; This is called the angle of incidence. The angle at which the sun hits the earth changes daily as day length becomes shorter or longer, resulting in a change in season. Describe the roles that water vapor, carbon dioxide, and particles play in the atmospheric process. Water vapor, carbon dioxide, and particulate matter all play a role in the atmospheric process as variable gases that make up the troposphere. These gases have a considerable influence on the weather and climate. When solar energy enters the atmosphere in the form of shortwave radiation, some of the radiation is reflected back into space or absorbed by the Earth's surface. This energy is then released by the Earth's surface in the form of longwave radiation. These gases affect the amount of solar energy that can reach the Earth's surface as well as the amount of longwave radiation that the Earth's surface attempts to reflect back into space. Water vapor as well as carbon dioxide absorb this long-wave radiation, thereby conserving energy in the atmosphere. This leads to rising temperatures worldwide as more carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere from the burning of carbon found in coal and oil (Hess & McKnight, 57-58). Particles or aerosols are solid or liquid droplets that enter the Earth's atmosphere for natural or anthropogenic reasons. Some droplets absorb solar radiation or reflect back into space, reducing the amount of radiation that reaches the Earth's surface. They can also absorb water, resulting in the formation of water vapor that forms clouds. Water vapor, carbon dioxide and particulate matter play a key role in the atmospheric process by affecting weather and climate. Explain WHY land heats and cools more quickly than water. Land heats and cools more quickly than water for several reasons. The first is that water has a higher specific heat than earth. Specific heat is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by 1 degree Celsius (Hess & McKnight, 94). Water has a specific heat 5 times greater than that of earth. Earth therefore has a low specific heat, causing it to heat up more quickly and to a higher temperature than water. The second reason is due to the transmission of solar radiation. Water has a higher transmission rate than land. This means that solar radiation penetrates deeper into the water, spreading the energy over a larger volume. On Earth, solar radiation hits a shallow, concentrated point, creating warmer temperatures. Since land has a low transmission rate, energy is released faster than water, resulting in a cooler temperature. The third reason is due to mobility. Water is extremely mobile unlike earth, which has no mobility. When solar radiation is transmitted