Unit 4: Climate Change 8.1 Weather and Climate PDF
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This presentation explains the difference between weather and climate, and provides an overview of how weather is measured using instruments. It also touches on factors like temperature, wind, air pressure, and humidity. It's a good introduction to climate science.
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Unit 4: Climate Change 8.1 Weather and Climate WEATHER VS. CLIMATE Weather atmospheric conditions in a particular location over a short period of time, such as a day or a week Climate the average of the weather in a region over a long period of time Scientists who study the weat...
Unit 4: Climate Change 8.1 Weather and Climate WEATHER VS. CLIMATE Weather atmospheric conditions in a particular location over a short period of time, such as a day or a week Climate the average of the weather in a region over a long period of time Scientists who study the weather are called meteorologists Scientists who study climate are called climatologists “Climate is what you expect, but weather is what you get” – Robert Heinlein Describing Weather TEMPERATURE Degree of hotness or coldness of an object. How do we measure temperature? A thermometer. WIND SPEED Rate at which air moves relative to fixed point on Earth How do we measure wind speed? An anemometer. WIND DIRECTION The direction the wind is blowing. How is wind direction measured? A wind vane. AIR PRESSURE The force with which the air is pressing down on Earth. If pressure , approaching air mass is colder and heavier (more dense) – Prevents: warmer air from rising and forming clouds, since pressure is pushing down on – Results: fair weather If pressure , approaching air mass is warmer and lighter (less dense) – If warm air that rises is moist, some type of precipitation occurs – Results: unstable weather How do we measure air pressure? A barometer. HUMIDITY Relative humidity is the measure of the amount of water vapour in the air as a percentage. What do we use to measure humidity? A hygrometer. What Causes Weather? Interactions between water and air on Earth and energy from the sun contribute to our weather Sun heats atmosphere creates winds and air movement Sun heats bodies of water water evaporates, cools, condenses (brings precipitation) Ocean water moves in currents from the poles to the equator and back again Together, air and water movement create weather How is Climate Studied? Climatologists collect weather measurements over 30 years or more and average the results in order to determine climate The climate of a region determines the types of plants and animals that live in a region and what weather conditions can be expected during certain seasons
