What's the Difference Between Weather and Climate?
When we talk about climate change, we talk about changes in long-term averages of daily weather. Today, children always hear stories from their parents and grandparents about how snow was always piled up to their waists as they trudged off to school. Children today in most areas of the country haven't experienced those kinds of dreadful snow-packed winters, except for the Northeastern U.S. in January 2005. The change in recent winter snows indicate that the climate has changed since their parents were young.
If summers seem hotter lately, then the recent climate may have changed. In various parts of the world, some people have even noticed that springtime comes earlier now than it did 30 years ago. An earlier springtime is indicative of a possible change in the climate.
What Weather Means
Weather is basically the way the atmosphere is behaving, mainly with respect to its effects upon life and human activities. The difference between weather and climate is that weather consists of the short-term (minutes to months) changes in the atmosphere. Most people think of weather in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility, wind, and atmospheric pressure, as in high and low pressure.
In most places, weather can change from minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour, day-to-day, and season-to-season. Climate, however, is the average of weather over time and space. An easy way to remember the difference is that climate is what you expect, like a very hot summer, and weather is what you get, like a hot day with pop-up thunderstorms.
Things That Make Up Our Weather
There are really a lot of components to weather. Weather includes sunshine, rain, cloud cover, winds, hail, snow, sleet, freezing rain, flooding, blizzards, ice storms, thunderstorms, steady rains from a cold front or warm front, excessive heat, heat waves and more.
What Climate Means
In short, climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area.
Some scientists define climate as the average weather for a particular region and time period, usually taken over 30-years. It's really an average pattern of weather for a particular region.
When scientists talk about climate, they're looking at averages of precipitation, temperature, humidity, sunshine, wind velocity, phenomena such as fog, frost, and hail storms, and other measures of the weather that occur over a long period in a particular place.
For example, after looking at rain gauge data, lake and reservoir levels, and satellite data, scientists can tell if during a summer, an area was drier than average. If it continues to be drier than normal over the course of many summers, than it would likely indicate a change in the climate.
Why Study Climate?
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. It could also affect human health, animals, and many types of ecosystems. Deserts may expand into existing rangelands, and features of some of our National Parks and National Forests may be permanently altered.
In short, climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area.
Some scientists define climate as the average weather for a particular region and time period, usually taken over 30-years. It's really an average pattern of weather for a particular region.
When scientists talk about climate, they're looking at averages of precipitation, temperature, humidity, sunshine, wind velocity, phenomena such as fog, frost, and hail storms, and other measures of the weather that occur over a long period in a particular place.
For example, after looking at rain gauge data, lake and reservoir levels, and satellite data, scientists can tell if during a summer, an area was drier than average. If it continues to be drier than normal over the course of many summers, than it would likely indicate a change in the climate.
Why Study Climate?
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. It could also affect human health, animals, and many types of ecosystems. Deserts may expand into existing rangelands, and features of some of our National Parks and National Forests may be permanently altered.
Actividades:
Responde:
1) ¿Qué es el tiempo?
2) ¿Qué elementos influyen en el mismo?
3) ¿Qué es el clima?
4) ¿Por qué es importante estudiar el clima?
Verdadero o falso:
1) La diferencia entre tiempo y clima radica en que el tiempo son los cambios de la atmósfera en un período de tiempo corto. ____
2) En el tiempo influyen la temperatura, humedad, precipitaciones, nubosidad, el brillo, la visibilidad, el viento y la presión atmosférica. ___
3) En la mayoría de los lugares, el clima puede cambiar de un minuto a minuto, hora a hora, día a día y temporada a temporada.____
4) El tiempo es realmente un patrón promedio del clima, en un período de 30 años, para una región en particular.___
5) Cuando los científicos hablan sobre el clima, que están viendo los promedios de los elementos del tiempo durante un período de tiempo en un determinado lugar.___
Completa el siguiente cuadro comparativo:
1) La diferencia entre tiempo y clima radica en que el tiempo son los cambios de la atmósfera en un período de tiempo corto. ____
2) En el tiempo influyen la temperatura, humedad, precipitaciones, nubosidad, el brillo, la visibilidad, el viento y la presión atmosférica. ___
3) En la mayoría de los lugares, el clima puede cambiar de un minuto a minuto, hora a hora, día a día y temporada a temporada.____
4) El tiempo es realmente un patrón promedio del clima, en un período de 30 años, para una región en particular.___
5) Cuando los científicos hablan sobre el clima, que están viendo los promedios de los elementos del tiempo durante un período de tiempo en un determinado lugar.___
Completa el siguiente cuadro comparativo:
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario