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What is the difference between weather and climate?
The principal difference between weather and climate is the measure of time. The weather is the description of conditions over a short time period and in a localized area or region. In contrast climate describes the sum of weather conditions over an extended period of time. It tells the average or most likely conditions that are expected for that day by drawing inferences on what has been recorded in the past. When you are asked to describe the difference between weather and climate it is helpful to remember that climate is what you expect, such as a hot summer, and weather is what you actually get, a wet mild summer.
Weather is how the atmosphere is behaving at any given time, measured by the minute, hour, day or week. When people consider the weather they usually refer to temperature, precipitation, humidity, cloudiness, brightness, wind, and whether atmospheric pressure is low or high. A low pressure system generally results in cloudy, wet and windy conditions. Alternatively, a high pressure system is associated with clear, calm conditions. Components of the weather include sunshine, rain, clouds, wind, snow, thunderstorms, ice storms and heat wave. To warn people of impending weather conditions, particularly those that could endanger lives and infrastructure, weather bureaus monitor day to day weather events to provide sufficient time for action to be taken to reduce their impact. This is not always possible as there is always an element of weather forecasting that cannot be accurately predicted.
Climate is essentially the description of weather patterns over long periods of time. It is generally defined as the average weather in a particular region over a period of thirty years. When studying the climate scientists consider the averages of temperature, precipitation, humidity, sunshine and wind velocity. Studying the climate is important as climate change has implications for humans, animals and plants.
Humans have been monitoring climate patterns for sometime, however it is also possible to determine changes to the planet's climate further back then historical records. Ice core data has been used to show fluctuations in the earth's climate for the last 800 000 years, aiding meteorologists in their prediction of future climatic conditions. This data has also allowed scientists to demonstrate the rapid changes to the climate observed in the last two hundred years, leading them to conclude that it is primarily human induced.
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This work by Michael Duggan is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.
