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CHAPTER THREE: Meteorology: air, ocean and weather

The weather for Krypto is very similar to the one we have here on earth. Krypto is a tropical planet that has lots of rain fall throughout the year which helps keep this area filled with 90% of water and 10% of open land. The weather we have on Krypto is driven by the intense heat shining down from the hot sun above. The sun's energy travels through space in the form of visible light waves and invisible ultraviolet and infrared rays. About one third (1/3) of the energy reaching Krypto atmosphere is reflected back into space. The remain two thirds is absorbed during a process called insolation (from incoming solar radiation).

The atmosphere lets sunlight pass through it, then the sunlight heats the ground which in turn warms the air near the surface. But the atmosphere prevents most of the heat from escaping into space. This is called the tropical green house effect, because the glass windows in a tropical (greenhouse) trap heat in the same way.

Insolation and the tropical (greenhouse) effect strike a balance and make our planet habitable. If Krypto's average temperature were to drop by a few degrees during the night time the weather would get colder and then the usual everyday temperature. For example, when you reach an altitude of about 15,000 feet, you could start seeing snow and notice the big temperature drop. If the temperature on Krypto were to increase by a few degrees, the heat would become humid and cause animals and insects to escape to places on land where the wheather is cooler. The following images are pictures of stormy weather, clouds and a tornado that is on Krypto.

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