What energy source fundamentally drives terrestrial weather dynamics versus space weather electrodynamics?
Answer
Differential solar heating versus solar ejection and particle acceleration
Terrestrial weather, such as temperature shifts and rainfall, is fundamentally driven by atmospheric thermodynamics and fluid dynamics. This process is initiated by the differential heating of the globe caused by the Sun's visible and infrared radiation—the heat input. Space weather, however, is driven by electrodynamics resulting from the Sun's constant outward spewing of charged particles (solar wind) and periodic, sudden energetic releases (ejections and acceleration events) occurring in the near-vacuum of space, which primarily affect charged systems like the magnetosphere and electronics.
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