Climate and weather which are mainly created by the air around us profoundly affect the lives and distribution of animals and plants Climate can be a dominating force on the character of landscapes For example warmth and wetness all the year round allow the growth of tropical jungles which are natural treasure troves with an incredible diversity of species Conversely cold windswept areas can muster only a scattered selection of living things The daily weather patterns that add up in the long term to the climate are caused by great masses of air rising and mixing for the atmosphere is never still Some of the motion is due to the fact that the envelope of gases rests on a spinning globe because air is thin it is not dragged along at the same speed as the earth but tends to lag behind A more important source of turbulence or air movement however is the sun