Topic summary
Earth gravity
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Gravity of Earth.
Atmosphere
The magnitude of gravity on Earth is a key factor in creating and sustaining Earth's atmosphere which in turn is essential for maintaining water in the oceans. The force of gravity works opposite to the kinetic energy of gas molecules energized by the Sun. On the one hand, Earth's gravity is small enough to allow light gases like hydrogen to escape, unlike large planets like Jupiter. On the other hand, Earth gravity is strong enough to retain larger molecules. Moreover, this balance is dynamic, creating weather as the Earth receives different amounts of heat during daily and yearly cycles.