As it passes through the water cycle it dissolves mineral sand gases and carries them to the oceans. The atmosphere has different properties at different elevations. Clouds, formed by the condensation of water vapor, affect weather and climate. Some do so by reflecting much of the sunlight that reaches Earth from the sun, while others hold heat energy emitted from the Earth s surface. Global patterns of atmospheric movement influence local weather.
Oceans have a major effect on climate, because water in the oceans hold a large amount of heat.
Living have played many roles in the Earth system, including affecting the composition of the atmosphere and contributing to the weathering of rocks. The Earth processes we see today, including erosion, movement of crustal plates, and changes in atmospheric composition, are similar to those that occurred in the past. Earth history is also influenced by occasional catastrophes, such as the impact of an asteroid or comet. Fossils provide important evidence of how life and environmental conditions have changed. The Earth is the third planet from the sun in a system that includes the moon, the sun, eight other planets and their moons, and smaller objects such as asteroids and comets.