climate

• Weather refers to day-to-day changes or patterns in the atmosphere at a particular place and time
• Factors affecting weather:

  • Air temperature: measures how hot or cold the air is, affecting the speed of molecules and evaporation
  • Air pressure: measures the heaviness of the air, with higher pressure indicating fair weather and lower pressure indicating stormy weather
  • Amount and type of precipitation: can be droplets of water or solidified water
  • Wind strength and direction: air moves from high pressure to low pressure, with different characteristics over land and water
  • Type of clouds: warm air temperature leads to water vapor condensing to form clouds
• Climate refers to cumulative patterns of weather in a particular place over time
• Factors affecting climate:

  • Temperature
  • Amount of precipitation
• Factors influencing temperature:

  • Latitude: as latitude increases north or south of the equator, the temperature decreases
  • Proximity to large bodies of water: land nearest to bodies of water experiences decreased temperature
  • Elevation/altitude: the higher the elevation, the lower the temperature
• Factors influencing precipitation:

  • Proximity to mountain ranges:
  • Orographic effect: dynamics of air and precipitation on the windward slope of the mountain
  • Rain shadow effect: occurs on the leeward slope of the mountains, receiving less rain
• Climate change is a century-scale problem caused by industrialization and greenhouse gas emissions
• Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, ozone, and nitrous oxide, with manmade gases like chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs)
• Global warming refers to the long-term average increase in global temperature, leading to climate change
• Causes of global warming include carbon dioxide emissions from burning gasoline and fossil fuels, methane emissions from animals and agriculture, increased use of chemical fertilizers, and deforestation
• Carbon footprints refer to the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere due to individual or organizational activities
• Impact of climate change includes direct effects on temperature, extreme weather conditions, water quality and quantity, and low soil productivity