Between the earth's crust and outer space are the gaseous layers known as "The Atmosphere".

These "gasses" include oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapour. These are key ingredients to life as we know it.

We all know about creatures breathing in oxygen , using it part of it, then breathing out carbon dioxide in its place.We also know plants take carbon dioxide from the air, then through the photosynthesis process put oxygen back into the air. What we often overlook is the importance of water vapour in the cycle of life.

Rain, hail and snow when falling in sufficient quantities on land are absorbed into the soil, with the excess forming rivers, ponds and lakes. Plants extract water from the soil. Creatures drink water from the natural storage or from water reticulated by humans. Humans also use reticulated water for irrigation of crops.

Water for use on land  (whether fog, mist, rain, hail or snow) has its origins in  water vapour. Water vapour enters the atmosphere from breathing, urinating, plant life and other means, but mainly from the effects of the sun and winds on bodies of water, both fresh and sea. This vapour can act as a "greenhouse gas" and the formation into droplets creates clouds. Both the vapour and the clouds can affect the amount of sun falling on the earth's surface. This in turn can affect the "climate" at any given location.

Ponder This ...

• Biblical tales refer to periods of feast and famine.
  

• Changes in weather patterns, resultant droughts and floods, that is climate change, how much is "natural" and "cyclical" and how much impact may be attributable to intervention by the human race ?