Study Notes on Weather and Climate

Weather

It refers to the sum total of the atmospheric conditions in terms of temperature, pressure, wind, moisture etc of a given place and time.   

• It refers to the sum total of the atmospheric conditions in terms of temperature, pressure, wind, moisture etc of a given place and time. 
• It is very dynamic as it may change several times even in a day. 
• It changes each day because the air in our atmosphere is always moving, distributing energy from the Sun. 
• In most places in the world, the types of weather events also vary throughout the year as season's change.

Climate 
It is the average weather condition or atmospheric condition of a region over a considerable period of time. 

The regional climate is the average weather in a place over more than thirty years.

It depends on many factors :

1.the amount of sunlight it receives         

2.its height above sea level,

3.the shape of the land, and 

4.how close it is to oceans.

Since the equator receives more sunlight than the poles, climate varies depending on distance from the equator.

However, Global climate is a description of the climate of a planet as a whole, with all the regional differences averaged. 

Global climate depends on :

1. the amount of energy received by the Sun and 

2. the amount of energy that is trapped in the system. 

These amounts are different for different planets. Scientists who study

Earth's climate and climate change study the factors that affect the climate of the whole planet. While the weather can change in just a few hours, climate changes over longer time-frames.