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Climate and weather are two interrelated terms. In today's world, global warming is a burning issue, and scientists are concerned about the globe's climatic and seasonal variations. In such a scenario, it is very essential for people to understand the meaning of the basic terms- climate and weather. Weather refers to the day-to-day or short-term atmospheric condition of a particular location. And climate refers to the long-term atmospheric condition of a particular location. The article will briefly describe these terms and elaborate on their differences.
Key Takeaways: weather, climate, atmosphere, temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind.
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Define Weather
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- Weather refers to the day-to-day or short-term atmospheric conditions of a particular place. Weather plays an important role in the everyday life and activities of living organisms.
- Weather conditions are affected by sun.
- Even though the earth has only one atmosphere, the weather conditions are different in different places. The weather of a particular location can change within minutes, hours or days.
- The variations in weather mostly happen in the atmospheric layer closest to the ground, called the troposphere. At present, due to satellite observation, it has become easier to predict weather conditions.
- The factors which influence the weather conditions of a particular place at a particular time are temperature, sun’s brightness, wind, humidity, air pressure, cloudiness, direction etc.
Define Climate
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- Climate refers to the atmospheric condition of a particular place over a long period of time (say, 25 to 30 years). It is the average pattern of weather condition in a specific location over a long period of time.
- Climate is the average sum of the elements of the atmosphere of a particular location. The atmospheric factors that influence climatic conditions are temperature, humidity, wind, atmospheric pressure, solar radiation, wind, precipitation etc. Variations in these atmospheric factors influence the climate of a particular location.
- Climatic conditions usually describe a large area like any cities or countries. Every place will have their respective centres to record the climatic features of that particular area.
- These centres record the climate as hottest day, amount of rainfall, coldest day etc. These records are useful in forecasting or predicting the upcoming climatic condition of a particular region for a larger time period.
- While weather conditions can change within minutes or hours, climatic conditions take long duration to occur or change.
- Climatic change takes long durations and occurs due to events like El Niño, which happens and sustains for several years thus causing greater fluctuations in the atmospheric conditions of a particular region.
- It may take hundreds or thousands of years for climatic changes to occur and sustain in a place.
Also read:
| Effects Of Climate Changes | Natural Resources |
| Impact of Temperature | Role of Atmosphere in Climate Control |
Differentiate Between Weather And Climate
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Both climatic conditions and weather conditions occurs in the same atmosphere, but they are two varying aspects with many differences. These entities are more or less influenced by the same atmospheric factors, but they portray extremely different features.
| Sl. No. | Weather | Climate |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Weather refers to the day-to-day or short-term atmospheric variations of a particular location at a particular point of time. | Climate refers to the long-term atmospheric variation that occurs in a particular region. It is the sum total or average of the weather condition of a specific place for more than 25 or 30 years. |
| 2. | The weather is short-term atmospheric condition. Weather condition can change within a few minutes, hours or days. | Climate is the average of weather conditions in the atmosphere over a long time and space. The time span of climate and associated changes can be hundreds or thousands of years. |
| 3. | The atmospheric factors that influence weather are humidity, wind, air pressure, temperature, storms, rainfall, snow, cloudiness, precipitation, etc. These factors can affect the weather condition of a place within a short period of time. | These important atmospheric elements that influence climatic conditions are humidity, temperature, wind, atmospheric pressure etc. |
| 4. | Weather conditions can impact the daily activities of living beings like transport, occupation, agriculture etc. | Climate conditions is a wider aspect and is associated with larger areas like cities or countries. They can affect an area’s livelihood, industries, agriculture and other important sectors. |
| 5. | Weather exerts a short-term impact on the atmosphere. | Climatic conditions exert a long-term impact on the atmosphere. |
| 6. | Weather conditions can change very frequently. That is within seconds, minutes, hours or days. | Climate conditions take longer period to change. It may take decades for a climatic variation to happen. |
| 7. | The meteorological department of a particular place observes and records the variations in weather conditions of that specific place. Meteorology is known to be the study of weather forecasting. | Several institutes and centres of climate studies observes, predicts and records the climatic variations of a particular space. Climatology is the name given to such a study. |
Things To Remember
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- Weather refers to a short-term atmospheric variation that occurs in a particular place at a point of time.
- Climate refers to the long-term change in the atmosphere that occurs in a particular region.
- The effects or impacts of weather could be for a few seconds, minutes, hours or days. But the impact of climatic conditions can be for a long duration; that is for hundreds or thousands of years.
- A climate is observed on the average of 25-30 years. Climatic conditions take longer durations to occur and change.
- Climate is the measure of weather for a longer-term. Climate is the sum total or average of the weather conditions of a particular place at a specific point of time.
- Humidity, temperature, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, wind etc, are some of the common atmospheric factors that influence both weather and climate.
Read: Atmospheric Pollution
Sample Questions
Ques. State the basic difference between climate and weather.
Ans. The basic difference between climate and weather is their duration of occurrence and change. Weather refers to the daily or short-term atmospheric changes, and climate indicates a long-term variation in the atmosphere. Climate is the average or sum total of weather conditions of a particular region over a long period of time.
Ques. List the elements that determine the weather of a place.
Ans. The atmospheric elements that determine and influence the weather condition of a region are temperature, wind speed, humidity, rainfall etc.
Ques. What is climatology?
Ans. Climatology or climate science is the scientific study of earth’s climate. it is the detailed study of atmosphere and weather patterns over time. The scientists who conduct such studies are called climatologists.
The study focuses on observing and recording the weather patterns throughout the globe and understanding the atmospheric factors that cause them.
Ques. What is global warming?
Ans. Global warming refers to the phenomenon of a gradual increase in the temperature of the earth’s surface. It is a phenomenon that has been in vogue for the past one or two centuries on earth. The concept of global warming has generated many controversies, with a section of people not believing that something like that actually exists. But scientists have been able to provide relevant data supporting the fact that the earth’s temperature is rising constantly and is affecting almost all aspects of the globe- plants, animals, humans.
Ques. Describe the impacts of global warming?
Ans. Global warming can cause negative impacts on plants, animals, humans and other living aspects of the earth. Due to the rise in earth’s temperature, glaciers are melting, eventually leading to the rise in sea level. Such scenarios can have a catastrophic impact on life and organisms.
Global warming can cause:
- Climate change
- Threats and damage to earth’s natural ecosystem
- Destruction of biodiversity and loss of natural habitats.
- High mortality rates- specifically due to increase in calamities (like floods, tsunamis) and spread of disease.
Ques. What are seasons?
Ans. A season refers to the division of a year based on changes in weather, climate, ecology and the amount of daylight hours in a particular region. Seasons occur as a result of the earth’s axial tilt relative to the orbital plane and the earth’s orbit around the sun. the four major seasons are summer, winter, spring and autumn.
The seasons of the southern hemisphere is opposite to that of the northern hemisphere. Seasons have a large impact on plant growth and vegetation.
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