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The challenge: Predict the weather

Making a weather station and recording what is happening with the elements isn't very difficult. It gets much harder when it comes to predictions: even the experts with their weather wizardry get it wrong sometimes.

The sun is the driving force behind the weather. As solar energy reaches the earth, equatorial regions heat up more than the poles. In addition to this, the rotation of the Earth and its path around the Sun is always modifying this heating effect. Due to convection warm air and water at the equator travel towards the poles while cold air and water at the poles travel towards the equator. It is the atmosphere's continual stirring due to convection and rotation that creates and brings to us our changing weather.

Solar energy directed at the Earth

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