Climate is the average weather in a given area over a longer period of time. For example, the climate of Hawaii is sunny and warm, but the climate of Antarctica is freezing cold.
Weather is the short-term changes we see in temperature, clouds, precipitation, humidity and wind in a region or a city.
The climate of a region or city is its weather averaged over many years.
The Koppen Climate Classification System is the most widely used system for classifying the world’s climates. Its categories are based on the annual and monthly averages of temperature and precipitation. The Koppen system recognizes five major climatic types; each type is designated by a capital letter.
A – Tropical Moist Climates: all months have average temperatures above 18°C
B – Dry Climates: with deficient precipitation during most of the year
C – Moist mid-latitude climates with mild winters
D – Moist mid-latitude climates with cold winters
E – Polar climates: with extremely cold winters and summers
Let’s discuss the characteristics of each of these major climatic types in greater details.
Tropical moist climates extend northward and southward from the equator to about 15 to 25°C of latitude. In these climates, all months have an average temperature greater than 18°C. Annual precipitation is based on the seasonal distribution of rainfall.
The most obvious climatic feature of dry climates is that potential evaporation and transpiration exceed precipitation. These climates extend from 20-35°C North and South of the equator and in large continental regions of the mid-latitudes often surrounded by mountains.
Minor types of this climate include:
This climate has warm and humid summers with mild winters. Its extent is from 30 to 50° of latitude mainly on the eastern and western borders of most continents. During the winter, the main weather feature is the mid-latitude cyclone. Convective thunderstorms dominate the summer months. Three minor types exist
Moist continental mid-latitude climates have warm to cool summers and cold winters. The location of these climates is poleward of the C climates. The average temperature of the warmest month is greater than 10°C, while the coldest month is less than -3°C. Winters are severe with snowstorms, strong winds and bitter cold from Continental Polar or Arctic air masses. Three minor types exist:
Polar climates have year-round cold temperatures with the warmest month less than 10°C. Polar climates are found on the northern coastal areas of North America, Europe, Asia and on the landmasses of Greenland and Antarctica. Two minor climate types exist:
Climate change refers to any long-term change in Earth’s climate, or in the climate of a region or city. This includes warming, cooling, and changes besides temperature. The climate of a city, region or the entire planet changes very slowly, in several years. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) defines the classical period used for describing a climate as 30 years.
Some causes of climate change are natural such as changes in Earth’s orbit, changes in the amount of energy coming from the sun, ocean changes and volcanic eruptions.
However, recent warming can’t be explained by nature alone. Most of the warming since the mid-1990s is due to the burning of coal, oil, and gas. Burning these fuels is how we produce most of the energy that we use every day. This burning adds heat-trapping gases, such as carbon dioxide, into the air. These gases are called greenhouse gases.
Scientists forecast that Earth’s average temperature will keep rising over the next 100 years or so. The impact of Earth’s warming climate is always evident in rising sea levels, decreasing snow and ice cover, and changing patterns in rainfall and seasons.
