Underlying Surface

the earth’s surface considered from the point of view of its interaction with the atmosphere in the process of heat and moisture exchange. Differences in the nature of the underlying surface— between land and water surfaces, mountains and plains, forests and fields, and so forth— have a significant effect on the physical state of the atmosphere, that is, on weather and climate. Differences in the absorption, expenditure, and accumulation of the sun’s radiant energy by different areas of the underlying surface have a significant effect on the general circulation of the atmosphere and, in addition, are the cause of local atmospheric circulation.