Climate

Climate is the long-term pattern of weather in a region, usually looked at over 30 years. It includes things like temperature, humidity, wind, and how much it rains or snows. Climate helps shape the world around us. It affects what plants grow and where animals live.

The climate of a place depends on many factors, such as how far it is from the equator latitude, the shape of the land terrain, and whether there are oceans nearby. Scientists study climate to understand how it changes over time and how those changes impact Earth.

Scientists use different ways to classify climates, like the Köppen climate classification. This groups places based on temperature and precipitation. They also look back in time using clues from nature, such as tree rings and ice cores, to learn about past climates. Today, many people are concerned about how the climate is changing because of things like global warming. These changes can affect weather patterns and the living world.

Definition

Climate is the long-term pattern of weather in a region, usually looked at over 30 years. It includes the usual weather and how much it changes from day to day or year to year. Key climate measurements are temperature, precipitation, and wind.

The difference between climate and weather is simple: "Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get." Things like latitude, altitude, and how close a place is to oceans help decide a region's climate. Changes in gases like carbon dioxide in the air can also change the planet's temperature.

Climate classification

Climate classifications are ways to group the world's climates into similar types. These systems help us learn how weather changes in different places. One famous method is the Köppen climate classification, made in 1899. It connects climate types to the plants and animals that live there.

Long ago, people in Ancient Greece used simple ways to describe climates based on where places were located. Today, scientists study climate in two main ways: looking at what causes it or watching its effects. These methods are helpful, but they can sometimes make climate zones seem very different from each other, even though climates often change slowly in nature.

Record

Paleoclimatology

Main article: Paleoclimatology

Paleoclimatology is the study of Earth's past climate over very long times. Scientists look at clues from ice, tree rings, mud, pollen, coral, and rocks to learn about old weather patterns. This helps us understand how Earth's climate has changed and stayed the same.

Modern

See also: Instrumental temperature record and Satellite temperature measurements

We learn about today's climate from tools like thermometers and weather stations over the past few hundred years. These tools have gotten better over time, and we have more data where many people live. Since the 1960s, satellites have helped us get climate data from all over the world, even faraway places like the Arctic and oceans.

Climate variability

Climate variability means the natural changes in Earth's weather over long times. These changes can happen randomly or in patterns, like the seasons. Things like Earth's position, sunlight, and ocean currents affect these patterns. Big events like volcanic eruptions can hide these changes for a short time. Over time, how we talk about climate variability and climate change has changed, with climate change now meaning long-term changes caused by people.

Climate change

See also: Global temperature record, List of weather records, and Extreme event attribution

Climate change is when Earth's weather patterns change over many years. These changes can happen naturally, like when the planet moves slightly in its orbit. They can also happen because of things people do, such as burning fossil fuels.

In the past, Earth has gone through many climate changes. Sometimes large glaciers covered parts of the planet. These changes used to happen very slowly. Now, they are happening much faster because of human activities. This is especially true for the release of greenhouse gases into the air. Scientists study climate change by looking at temperature and energy balance. Recently, the world's temperature has risen above normal levels.

Climate models

Climate models help us learn about Earth’s climate. They use math to show how energy moves between the atmosphere, oceans, land, and ice. These models look at energy from the sun and energy leaving Earth. Differences in this energy can change Earth’s temperature.

Models can be simple or very detailed. Some models look at small areas to see how climate change might change local weather. These models are important for studying how more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas affect temperatures, especially in cold parts of the world.