The best definition regarding the difference between weather and climate is that climate looks at how the weather behaves over long specific periods in large regions, while weather looks at local atmospheric conditions over short periods-according to NASA studies. At the core, they may appear very similar. This often confuses the average person, which makes it difficult to understand climate predictions and weather forecasts.
The study of weather and climate goes back a long way in history, with climate prediction beginning with our third U.S. President, Thomas Jefferson, in the 1700s. Considered the nation’s first applied climatologist, Jefferson was obviously a forerunner to the current Climate Prediction Center in Maryland (CPC), one of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and NOAA’s National Weather Service. Throughout history, climate is what is usually expected but weather is what is always received.
~ What is weather?
Weather occurs within short durations—as short as a minute-by-minute occurrence up to a two-week period. A person looks out the window and it is raining. In another minute, it has quit with the sun shining. When the television, radio or computer is turned on to find out what to wear or do that day, what is seen, heard or read is the daily weather report—not the climate report. What makes weather important is those climate studies need weather patterns to observe for weather and climate predictions and forecasts. In other words, the weather that day helps people make up their mind what to wear out of their closets, while the expected climate is how people purchase their entire wardrobes.
– Characteristics of the weather
Words used to describe what the weather is like outside are atmospheric pressure, barometric pressure, brightness, cloudiness, humidity, high and low pressure, precipitation, temperature, visibility and wind conditions. Weather affects daily activities-such as what to wear, whether to walk to work or school, or what activities to plan. From the minute a person’s eyes open in the morning, they will be affected by the short-term state of the atmosphere over their heads. On the norm, daily weather changes are brought about by winds and storms, while seasonal changes are brought about by Earth’s rotation around the sun. When the axis of the Earth points toward the Sun, it will be summer for that hemisphere. If the axis points away from the Sun, it will be winter.
-Importance of the Sun to weather
Without the Sun, weather would not be able to exist on Earth. Because Earth is the third planet from the Sun, life is sustained by certain temperatures that allow life to survive—plants, animals and people. In comparison, Mars is very cold and Venus is very hot with no life on either. When the Sun’s rays fall on Earth, they fall unequally because the planet is round—not flat. The warmest areas on Earth are at the Equator, because the Sun shines directly on this area.
Meanwhile, the poles are much colder because the Sun shines at an angle, causing very little or no light. The differences in temperatures between the Equator and the poles cause a swirling movement of air and water to distribute the Sun’s heat energy across the planet. If a region’s air is warmer than any surrounding air, it will become less dense—rising in order draw air underneath. In other areas, the cooler and denser air will begin to sink. This pushes air outward for it to flow across the Earth’s surface.
-Where does the weather originate?
Most weather originates in the troposphere, the lowest portion of the Earth’s atmosphere ranging approximately 11 miles in depth (deeper in the tropical regions and shallower in the pole regions). It contains a uniform mix of 75% atmospheric mass and 99% atmospheric aerosols and water vapor. The word troposphere originates in the Greek language, referring to the “mixing” of turbulent weather that can develop in this area.
~ What is climate?
Climate is an average of the weather over a 30-year period of a particular area and time-period—resulting in the average weather pattern for that region or any region. While weather changes in minutes up to two weeks, climate can take hundreds to millions of years for a change to develop. Early springs are a strong predictor of occurring climate changes that have been developing for many years, with many more years to come. Climate studies and graphs are able to show this change in the most minute of movements which most minds cannot fathom.
-Climate and latitude
Different types of ecosystems exist in various climates at different latitudes. An ecosystem consists of sunlight and precipitation affecting plants and animals living in a specific area. For example, the equator has areas that consist of lots of rain, wet seasons and dry seasons, and desert areas. Notable ecosystems that thrive in this type of climate are the deserts, the savanna and the rainforests.
Mid-latitude climates consist of areas between the cold poles and the warm tropics. The ecosystems that thrive in this latitude area are the chaparral, grasslands and temperate forest. High-latitude climates are located where the least amount of sunlight is received and the coldest climates. The ecosystems that do well here are the tundra and the taiga,
-Factors that shape the climate
Regional climates involve seasons, wind speed, snow and rain amounts. Climate of a certain region is affected by how much sun the area receives; how high it is above sea level; what the land shape is; and what its proximity is to the ocean. It also varies on how far it is from the warm equator.
Planetary or global climate involves the climate of Earth or any other planet. It is a description of the world as a whole over long periods of time-with each regional difference averaged out. Global climate is influenced by the Sun’s energy. A certain amount of energy is trapped within the global system, varying between planets because of different energy amounts. According to current scientific research, global warming is increasing the average global temperature on Earth. Affecting this change are the biosphere, the atmospheric chemistry, solar radiation and the clouds. What is directly affecting the climate today are volcanic eruptions, levels of solar energy, greenhouse gases, and snow/ice that reflects solar radiation back into space.
A major factor today influencing climate is the destruction of forests by the Mountain Pine Beetle. The beetles carry blue stain fungi that block the tree resin response. Within two weeks, the trees starve to death because water and nutrients are closed off. The trees will appear red from the top, dying especially after hot seasons. The entire Rocky Mountain National Park is currently suffering from this beetle attack. Trees are important to climate as beetle destroyed trees will release greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide into the air. Once this combines with CO2, global warming increases. Scientific studies show that affected forest areas will warm the temperature up to 4 degrees. Healthy trees release oxygen through photosynthesis, while sending water vapor and microscopic particles into the air. This allows for healthy condensation and cloud formation, causing rain to fall.
“Forests help control the atmosphere,” says NCAR scientist Alex Guenther. He continues, “There’s a big difference between the impacts of a living forest and a dead forest.” Scientists suspect that weather and air quality is changing as forests are destroyed by the beetles. (Windows to the Universe)
~ Conclusion
Weather and climate are very important to the daily lives of people in the United States and all over the world. Not only is it an important part of a national environment, but affects individual lives through their daily issues, activities, food agriculture and health. It is so important that Australia’s CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research joined forces in 2007 with the Bureau of Meteorology Research Center to combine their weather forecasts and climate predictions.
“These new facilities will provide weather and climate researchers with the opportunity to take a holistic approach to their research to better capture climate processes involving the ocean, carbon cycle, sea-ice, and cloud chemistry,” said Foundation Director, Dr Chris Mitchell. (CSIRO, 2007)
The difference between weather and climate may not be so easily noticed at first, but their major differences allow for a better working relationship between them. One cannot do without the other—climate needs weather to study and compare over large areas, while weather has climate to fall back on for a general ideas what to expect. However, climate is very important to help understand where Earth has been in the past and how it has affected past civilizations. It is also very important to help people understand where they are going in their future, region by region. Through it all, scientific observations of a specific climate’s behavior by utilizing documented weather conditions helps to allow for better weather forecasts and climate predictions—making life much easier for mankind.
