Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest level of the planet's atmosphere, the troposphere, just below the stratosphere.
Weather on Earth is caused by heat from the sun and movement of the air. All weather happens in the lower layer of Earth's atmosphere, which is a layer of gases surrounding Earth. This movement of air is what we call wind. Winds bring changes in the weather, such as clear sunny skies or heavy rain.
Weather reflects short-term conditions of the atmosphere while climate is the average daily weather for an extended period of time at a certain location. Weather can change from minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour, day-to-day, and season-to-season. Climate, is the average of weather over time and space.
There are six main components, or parts, of weather. They are temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity, precipitation, and cloudiness.
When the land warms up, it heats the air above it. This causes the air to expand and rise. As the air rises it cools and condenses. If this process continues then rain will fall.
The reason studying climate and a changing climate is important, is that will affect people around the world. Rising global temperatures are expected to raise sea levels, and change precipitation and other local climate conditions. Changing regional climate could alter forests, crop yields, and water supplies.
24 Key Ideas Geographers study the weather because it has an impact on people's daily lives and the activities that they do. Weather is the day to day changes in the atmosphere. Climate is the overall average pattern of weather Precipitation is water from the atmosphere.
When it reaches about 30° north and south, the air cools and sinks towards the ground forming the subtropical high-pressure zone. As the air sinks, it becomes warmer and drier. This creates an area of little cloud and low rainfall, where deserts are found.
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- Latitude. It depends on how close or how far it is to the equator.
- Ocean currents. Certain ocean currents have different temperatures.
- Wind and air masses. Heated ground causes air to rise which results in lower air pressure.
- Elevation. The higher up you are, the colder and drier it will be.
- Relief.
- Nearness to water.
India's coldest inhabited place, Dras is often called the 'Gateway to Ladakh'.
Although many factors combine to influence weather, the four main ones are solar radiation, the amount of which changes with Earth's tilt, orbital distance from the sun and latitude, temperature, air pressure and the abundance of water.
The three main factors of weather are light (solar radiation), water (moisture) and temperature.
Weather describes the condition of the atmosphere. It might be sunny, hot, windy or cloudy, raining or snowing. The weather takes into account the temperature , precipitation , humidity and atmospheric pressure of the part of atmosphere (air) closest to the surface of the earth.
There are approximately five main climate types on Earth:
- Tropical.
- Dry.
- Temperate.
- Continental.
- Polar.
Ocean currents act much like a conveyor belt, transporting warm water and precipitation from the equator toward the poles and cold water from the poles back to the tropics. Thus, ocean currents regulate global climate, helping to counteract the uneven distribution of solar radiation reaching Earth's surface.
Life affects the climate system and in turn, the climate dictates where and how species can survive. Life affects the composition of the atmosphere and therefore the climate because different life forms take in and release gases like carbon dioxide, methane and oxygen at different rates.
Climate is the long-term average of weather, typically averaged over a period of 30 years. More rigorously, it denotes the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years.
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The earth's climate is influenced and changed through natural causes like volcanic eruptions, ocean currents, the Earth's orbital changes, solar variations and internal variability. is short-term cooling. Volcanic eruptions pump out clouds of dust and ash, which block out some sunlight.
Causes of global warming
- carbon pollution.
- climate change.
- energy.
The Earth's climate can be affected by natural factors that are external to the climate system, such as changes in volcanic activity, solar output, and the Earth's orbit around the Sun.
More frequent and intense drought, storms, heat waves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers and warming oceans can directly harm animals, destroy the places they live, and wreak havoc on people's livelihoods and communities. As climate change worsens, dangerous weather events are becoming more frequent or severe.
The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the Earth's surface. When the Sun's energy reaches the Earth's atmosphere, some of it is reflected back to space and the rest is absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases. The absorbed energy warms the atmosphere and the surface of the Earth.
Humans are increasingly influencing the climate and the earth's temperature by burning fossil fuels, cutting down rainforests and farming livestock. This adds enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and global warming.
The greenhouse effectThe ground warms up and heat is emitted from the Earth's surface. Some heat escapes into space but some is absorbed by greenhouse gases. It is re-emitted and does not escape. The Earth's atmosphere warms up.
Global warming: The increase in Earth's average temperature over a long period of time. Carbon dioxide: A gas released by the burning of coal, natural gas, oil, and wood that traps heat in the atmosphere.
Microclimate, any climatic condition in a relatively small area, within a few metres or less above and below the Earth's surface and within canopies of vegetation.
Trees alter the microclimate of a site. Heat rays are reflected off the surface of leaves. For example: if the air temperature is 84ºF, the surface temperature could be as high as 108ºF. If the area is planted with trees, the surface temperature may drop to 88ºF.
The Equator is at the centre of the lines of latitude and is at 0° latitude. Anything lying south of the Equator is in the Southern Hemisphere and is labelled °S. Anything lying north of the Equator is in the Northern Hemisphere and is labelled °N. The North Pole is 90° N and the South Pole is 90° S.
There are 4 major climate zones:
- Tropical zone from 0°–23.5°(between the tropics)
- Subtropics from 23.5°–40°
- Temperate zone from 40°–60°
- Cold zone from 60°–90°
This is because the sun's rays travel a shorter distance to the Equator (hitting the earth at less of an angle) and are therefore more concentrated, resulting in higher temperatures. This is due to the sun's rays travelling a longer distance and being spread over a wider area of the Earth's surface.
