Weather and Climate

Geography Projectdone by

Sean Lawrence GauciClass 3.01

What is weather?

The weather is just the state of the atmosphere at any time, including things such as temperature, precipitation, air pressure and cloud cover. Daily changes in the weather are due to winds and storms. Seasonal changes are due to the Earth rotating around the sun.

What causes weather?

• Because the Earth is round and not flat, the Sun's rays don't fall evenly on the land and oceans. The Sun shines more directly near the equator bringing these areas more warmth.

• However, the polar regions are at such an angle to the Sun that they get little or no sunlight during the winter, causing colder temperatures.

What causes weather?

• These differences in temperature create a restless movement of air and water in great swirling currents to distribute heat energy from the Sun across the planet.

• When air in one region is warmer than the surrounding air, it becomes less dense and begins to rise, drawing more air in underneath. Elsewhere, cooler denser air sinks, pushing air outward to flow along the surface and complete the cycle.

Different types of weather : SunnyPartly CloudyCloudyRainy

What is a High Pressure System?• A high pressure system is a

whirling mass of cool, dry air that generally brings fair weather and light winds. When viewed from above, winds spiral out of a high-pressure center in a clockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere. These bring sunny skies. A high pressure system is represented as a big, blue H.

What is a Low Pressure System?• A low pressure system is

a whirling mass of warm, moist air that generally brings stormy weather with strong winds. When viewed from above, winds spiral into a low-pressure center in a counter clockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere. A low pressure system is represented as a big, red L

Climate• Two of the most important

factors determining an area's climate are air temperature and precipitation. That’s why we present average rainfall, snowfall, sunshine hours and temperatures in graphs and/or charts. Thanks to the statistic data collected from different sources around the world, we know all there's to know about the local climate in almost every country.

Climate

The Earth's climate has changed many times during the planet's history, with events ranging from ice ages to long periods of warmth.

What is climate?

• Climate is the average weather usually taken over a 30-year time period for a particular region and time period. Climate is not the same as weather, but rather, it is the average pattern of weather for a particular region. Weather describes the short-term state of the atmosphere.

• Historically, natural factors such as volcanic eruptions, changes in the Earth's orbit, and the amount of energy released from the Sun have affected the Earth's climate.

• Beginning late in the 18th century, human activities associated with the Industrial Revolution have also changed the composition of the atmosphere and therefore very likely are influencing the Earth's climate.

What is our climate system?

• The atmosphere covers the Earth. It is a thin layer of mixed gases which make up the air we breathe. This thin layer also helps the Earth from becoming too hot or too cold.

• Oceans cover about 70 percent of Earth's surface. Their large size and thermal properties allow them to store a lot of heat.

What is our climate system?

• Land covers 27 percent of Earth's surface and land topography influences weather patterns.

• Ice is the world's largest supply of freshwater. It covers the remaining 3 percent of Earth's surface including most of Antarctica and Greenland. Ice plays an important role in regulating climate, because it is highly reflective.

What is our climate system?

• The biosphere is the part of Earth's atmosphere, land, and oceans that supports any living plant, animal, or organism. It is the place where plants and animals, including humans, live.