Introduction to Climatology

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GEOG 342:

CLIMATOLOGY

INTRODUCTION TO CLIMATOLOGY


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Introduction to

Climatolog• Climatology is the science that seeks todescribe and explain the nature of climate,why it diers from place to place, and how it

is related to other elements of the naturalenvironment and to human activities.

•

The term comes from the Greek words,klima, referring to the supposed slope ofthe earth and approximating our concept oflatitude, and logos, a discourse or study.


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Introduction to

Climatolog• Climatolog is closely allied with, butoften confused with M!t!orolog andalthough they study similar things,

they are separated by the length oftime over which they operate.

• M!t!orolog is the study of weather.


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• "!at#!r – The state of the atmosphere mainly with

respect to its eects upon human activities.!hort term variability of the atmosphere "timescales of minutes to months#.$opularly thought of in terms of% temperature,wind, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness,brightness, and visibility.

– & category of individual'combined atmosphericphenomena which describe the conditions at

the time of an observation.• Climat!

– (ong term statistical description of theatmospheric conditions, averaged over a

speci)ed period of time * usually decades.


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+

hy study eather-

• arning of severeweather

• &griculture –

Timing of planting,harvesting, etc to avoidbad weather, haards tolivestock

• Transport / services – !hipping, aviation, road

gritting, 0ood warnings,1

• Commerce – !hould a supermarket

order 223s andicecream, or umbrellas-

November 14, 1854: A suddenstorm devastated a joint ritish!"rench #eet near ala$lava inthe lac$ %ea.

"rench astronomer &rbain 'ean 'oseph (e )errier *1811!18++

demonstrated that telegraphedobservations could have giventhe ships a day to prepare.

-n ngland, /apt. 0obert "it0oy*1825!1835 started theMeteorological Oce as a

small department o the board otrade. n %eptember 6rd 1832,15 stations began reporting 8amobservations. "ebruary 5,1831started issuing storm warnings to ports.


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Weather versus Climate

$#ort%t!rm &and larg!' (uctuation) t#at ari)! *rom int!rnal in)ta+iliti

o* t#! atmo),#!r!

Occur) a) a -id! .ari!t o* ,#!nom!na t#at -! o*t!n !/,!ri!nc!

E0!ct) ar! imm!diat!l *!lt

$ocial and !conomic im,act) ar! gr!at +ut ar! u)uall locali1!d

Man )uc# ,#!nom!na occur a) ,art o* larg!r%)cal! organi1!d ))t!

Go.!rn!d + non%lin!ar c#aotic dnamic) not ,r!dicta+l!d!t!rmini)ticall +!ond a -!! or t-o

T#! condition o* atmo),#!r! at a gi.!ntim! and ,lac!Weather


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Climate

D!n!d a) t#! a.!rag! )tat! o* t#! atmo),#!r! o.!r a nit! tim!,!riod and o.!r a g!ogra,#ic r!gion &),ac!'5

Can +! t#oug#t o* a) t#! 6,r!.ailing7 -!at#!r8 -#ic# includ!) t#!m!an +ut al)o t#! rang! o* .ariation)

T#! -id! rang! o* natural .aria+ilit a))ociat!d -it# dail -!at#! m!an) )mall climat! c#ang!) ar! di9cult to d!t!ct

Intimat! lin +!t-!!n -!at#!r and climat! ,ro.id!) a +a)i) *orund!r)tanding #o- -!at#!r !.!nt) mig#t c#ang! und!r a

c#anging climat!

Weather versus Climate

Climat! i) -#at ou !/,!ct and -!at#!r i) -#at ou g!t5

Climat! t!ll) -#at clot#!) to +u8 +ut -!at#!r t!ll) ou -#atclot#!) to -!ar5


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Climatic Control)

The world's manyclimates are

controlled by the

same factors

affecting weather,

a) intensity ofsunshine and its

variation with

latitude,

b) distribution of land

and water,c) ocean temperature

and currents,

d) mountain barriers,

e) land cover,

f) atmospheric

composition.This ma shows sea-level tem eratures °F .


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Com,on!nt) o* t#! Climat! $)t!m

• 2asic uestion to be answered in physicalclimatology is% what causes the variations inheat exchange, moisture exchange, and 0uid

motion from time to time and place to place-5r in other words * why do climates dier-

• 6irst step in a scienti)c approach to theanswer is o+)!r.ation5 5bservations ofintensity and duration of solar radiation,temperature, humidity, evaporation,

cloudiness and fog, precipitation, visibility,barometric ressure and winds.


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• Their occurrence in a particular combinationresults from transfers of energy and mass in theclimate system.

• The transfer processes are in turn in0uenced bydierences in latitude, altitude, land and watersurfaces, mountain barriers, local topography, and

such gross atmospheric features as prevailingwinds, air masses, and pressure centers.

• Climates exhibit both spatial and temporal

variations throughout the world.


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R!gional Climatolog

• R!gional climatolog has its goal in theorderly arrangement and explanation ofspatial patterns. 7t includes the

identi)cation of signi)cant climatecharacteristics and the classi)cation ofclimate types, thus providing a linkbetween the physical bases of climate and

the investigation of problems in a,,li!dclimatolog5


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$cal!) o* Climat!

• Microclimat! 8 the climate of a site "e.g. a climatestation#

• To,oclimat! 8 the climate of a locality "e.g. a valley or

hillside#

• M!)oclimat! 8 the climate of a region "e.g. 2rong &hafo9egion of Ghana#

• $no,tic Climat! 8 the climate of a large area "e.g. acontinent#

•

Glo+al Climat! 8 the climate of the planet


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Introduction to Climatology

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