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Questions and Answers
What is the primary factor that determines the weather and climate?
What is the primary role of solar radiation in the Earth's atmosphere?
What is the name of the instrument used to measure air pressure?
What is the name of the measurable amount of moisture in the air?
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What is the primary cause of wind?
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What is the name of the scale used to estimate wind speed?
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What is the main difference between climate and weather?
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What does the term 'climate' originate from?
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What is the name of the organization that defines the classical period for climate as 30 years?
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What is the study of weather called?
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What is the term used to describe the state of the atmosphere at a particular time and place?
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What is the term used to describe a person who studies weather?
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Study Notes
Weather vs. Climate
- Weather refers to the short-term variations of the atmosphere, including temperature, pressure, wind, moisture, cloudiness, precipitation, and visibility, in a small geographic area.
- Climate is the long-term average of the weather, defined as the statistical description of relevant quantities over a period of time, typically 30 years, as defined by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Factors Affecting Weather & Climate
Elements of Weather and Climate
- Temperature: the intensity of the atmosphere, influencing precipitation, humidity, clouds, and atmospheric pressure.
- Solar radiation: heats the Earth's surface, driving evaporation, and affects cloud development and precipitation.
- Air pressure: the weight of air resting on the Earth's surface, used to monitor developing storms, and affects weather patterns.
- Humidity: the measurable amount of moisture in the air, measured with hygrometers, with three types: absolute, specific, and relative humidity.
- Precipitation: moisture that falls from the air to the ground, determining outdoor activities and water levels.
- Winds: the movement of air from high pressure to low pressure, resulting from horizontal differences in air pressure.
How Air Pressure Affects Weather
- Measured with a barometer, changes in air pressure indicate new weather patterns:
- Falling air pressure = stormy weather coming
- Rising air pressure = fair weather coming
- Steady air pressure = no change is coming
How Winds Work
- The horizontal differences in air pressure create wind, with greater pressure differences resulting in faster wind.
- Measured with wind vanes and anemometers, or estimated with the Beaufort Wind Scale.
- Forces that influence wind:
- Pressure gradient force
- Coriolis force
- Centripetal force
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Description
Learn about the differences between weather and climate, including short-term atmospheric variations and long-term patterns. Understand the study of weather, meteorology, and the role of meteorologists.
