What is climatology? How does it differ from weather? Describe the Koppen
Climate Classification and its purpose.
Climatology is one of the several branches of physical geography, but
it differs from weather in several ways. The term climate implies an average,
or long term record of weather conditions at a certain region. It conveys a
generalization of all the recorded weather observations in a given area.
Weather conditions are recorded in specifics for any given moment in time:
the temperature, percentage of rainfall, and percentage of humidity. Climate
on the other hand, is described in more general terms. Humid Equatorial
climates, Dry climates, and Cold Polar climates are marked by certain
prevailing characteristics that can be mapped such as continuous snow or deserts.
One of the most popular classification systems is the Koppen Climate
Classification system, which gives different climates three letters that
describe that climate. The Koppen Climate Classification system is
comparatively simple and is based on a triad of letter symbols. The first
(capital) letter is the critical one; the A climates are humid and tropical;
the B climates are very dry; the C climates are humid and mild; the D
climates reflect increasing cold; and the E climates mark the polar areas.
The first letter is followed by two more letters that further define the climate
of that region. The second letter represents and explains the dry season:
whether there is or isn't a dry season, whether it is a short or long dry
season, and what season it comes in either a dry winter or a dry summer. The
third letter defines the temperature of different seasons either a hot or cool
summer or a cold or warm winter.
The purpose of the Koppen Climate Classification system is to assist in
The climates on earth are very unique depending on their placement on the planet's axis. No one really realizes how different they can be or how similar they really are. The ice caps and the arid climates are two examples of unique climates. Arid is another word for dry land, the ice caps are the cold climates. The Arid climates are covering nearly 33% of the earth’s land. The ice caps are only at the poles directly north and south of the equator, but this climate covers nearly 20% of the earth. These two climates sound very different, but no one would ever know the similarities of them until they really looked into the facts.
months and the summers are cool and short. Also due to the fact that much of
The textbook definition of climate is the condition of the atmosphere in a specific region over many years. It has to do with long-term averages of temperature, winds, clouds, pressure, moisture, precipitation, etc. For example, South America has a very tropical climate while Minnesota has hot summers and cold winters experiencing the widest variety of weather.
After the winter, people look forward to having all the flowers begin to bloom again and birds begin to fly, announcing the start of spring. The grass turns green and people begin to be outside without five layers of clothing on and snow falling from the sky. Spring is when everything comes alive after the winter hibernation. My favorite time of the year is spring, when you wake up to the birds chirping outside of your windows. It is the time of year when you walk outside and smell the fresh cut grass and the scent of new flowers. On the first day of spring you are even happy to see the little bugs flying around you because you know you are finally done with winter. It is the best time of year, with so many different things happening outside in nature.
The seasons are caused by the toilet of the Earth’s axis. It is also caused by the way the tilt of the earth is pointed at; away or towards the sun. The tilt of the earth is 23.5 degrees. There are two solstices, the summer solstice and the winter solstice. The summer solstice is when the northern hemisphere is focused on the tilt towards the sun, maximum sunlight is reached here. The winter solstice is when it is focused on the tilt away from the sun, there will be minimum sunlight. The winter builds up cold air over North America. The Earth is closer to the sun when it is winter in the northern hemisphere. The distance from the sun varies. The earth has seasons because the earth is not straight, it is tilted. The Earth's distance from the sun does not cause the seasons. Many people believe that the seasons are caused by Earth's orbit around the sun, but this is false. Winter occurs when the Earth is closest to the sun, while summer occurs when the Earth is farthest from the sun.
The time of season here is autumn. This is a time of the year when plants come to fruition and are ready for harvest; trees begin to change color and lose their leaves, and animals burrow down for the cold winters.
Abby: While climates are moist near the mountains and in the north. Usually, the driest is in the central prairies. Strong winds blow across the plains during both summer and winter because of the flat rolling surfaces.
Meteorological drought is referred as a precipitation deficiency, in comparison to normal or base line condition. We use Standardized Precipitation index (SPI-n, where n = 3, 6, 9 and 12 months accumulation period) as an index of meteorological drought. SPI represents a statistical z-score or the number of standard deviations (following a probability distribution, usually Gamma and back transformed to standard normal distribution) above or below that an event is from the mean (McKee et al. 1993; Sims et al., 2002). SPI is spatially invariant and probabilistic in nature and able to capture different drought states ranging from short, medium and long-term drought conditions depending on the length of the accumulation period. SPI has number of advantages, such as (Lloyd-Hughes and Saunders, 2002); (i) The SPI is based on precipitation and requires computation of only two
A lack of rain or snow for an extended period causes dry weather, otherwise known as a drought (**). When temperatures rise because of the global climate change, moisture from the land and water evaporates, which leaves less water on the Earth (**). While some places are getting more snow and rain to make up for the climate change, others are getting less.
from an area where during the summer temperatures reach the hundreds and fifteens. It is
a change in the water cycle. Some places may experience more rain. Warmer temperatures will
When the term seasons come to mind, most people think of the four major weather seasons; summer, fall, winter, and spring. But, within these four, there are far more interesting seasons to notice and associate with that specific time of year. For example, the first part of the year tends to yield many blushing brides vowing to a lifelong commitment and friendship with their groom and therefore is considered wedding season. Similar seasons are wound throughout the year such as football season, engagement season, and swimsuit season, but the most wonderful time of the year is by far the holiday season. For many reasons, the holiday season, the time ranging from Thanksgiving to New Years, brings a feeling of togetherness and joy that simply is
The hemisphere tilted towards the sun has longer days and shorter nights while the hemisphere tilted away from the sun has shorter days and longer nights. The equator gets no seasonal changes because sunlight hits it at a constant angle. Geographical regions around the equator receive about 12 hours of sunlight every day. Earth’s tilt is said to have been created when an object the size of the moon collided with earth and skewed its rotation. This one sequence of an event made life on earth possible. The poles remain frozen because they are never, at a particular moment, facing the sun in any way. Another factor of climate is high elevation. Areas with extreme height or elevation, in general, are always cold. It doesn’t matter where on earth this region is, so long as it is greatly elevated, it will always be cold. The reason for elevated regions being so cold is that low pressures at higher altitudes cause temperatures to drop drastically compared to sea level. Plant life and most wildlife don’t appear in very high elevations. All types of plants stop growing at an approximate height of 10,000ft (Snyder 2008). This is because the conditions just can’t support plant’s needs to thrive.These are some of the major factors that affect climate around the
Drought is a difficult thing to measure, mainly because of all the different factors that are involved when determining the kind of drought, its intensity, and the length of the drought. Because drought can be defined in many different ways by many people, these are the three most frequently used: Meteorological, Agricultural, and Hydrological drought (What is Drought, n.d.). A Meteorological drought is typically defined by the degree of dryness and the span of the dry period. Agricultural drought focuses on the precipitation shortages, soil water deficits, and reduced ground water or reservoir levels needed for irrigation. The Hydrological drought occurs after periods of continuous lack of precipitation that reduces the water supply, impacting the community (What is Drought, n.d.). When determining whether the drought is short...
Climate is the average weather conditions present in a particular area over a long period of time. Earth’s climate is an intricate system that is essential to our livelihoods. It is for this reason that scientists, such as paleoclimatologist, are hoping to better understand future climate conditions by studying the Earth’s past and present climate conditions.