Climate
hideClimate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and numerous other meteorological elements in a given region over long periods of time. Climate can be contrasted to weather, which is the present condition of these same elements over periods up to two weeks.
The climate of a location is affected by its latitude, terrain, altitude, ice or snow cover, as well as nearby water bodies and their currents. Climates can be classified according to the average and typical ranges of different variables, most commonly temperature and rainfall. The most commonly used classification scheme is the one originally developed by Wladimir Köppen. The Thornthwaite system, in use since 1948, incorporates evapotranspiration in addition to temperature and precipitation information and is used in studying animal species diversity and potential impacts of climate changes. The Bergeron and Spatial Synoptic Classification systems focus on the origin of air masses defining the climate for certain areas.
Paleoclimatology is the study and description of ancient climates. Since direct observations of climate are not available before the 19th century, paleoclimates are inferred from proxy variables that include non-biotic evidence such as sediments found in lake beds and ice cores, and biotic evidence such as tree rings and coral. Climate models are mathematical models of past, present and future climates.
For more information about Climate, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with global temperatures
Cuts in greenhouse gas emissions would save Arctic ice, reduce sea level rise
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Apr 14, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (88) |
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The threat of global warming can still be greatly diminished if nations cut emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases by 70 percent this century, according to a new analysis. While global temperatures would ...
Scientists warn of climate catastrophe
Jun 18, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (89) |
58
The world faces a growing risk of "abrupt and irreversible climatic shifts" as fallout from global warming hits faster than expected, according to research by international scientists released Thursday.
Hackers leak e-mails, stoke climate debate
Nov 21, 2009 |
3.5 / 5 (73) |
42
(AP) -- Computer hackers have broken into a server at a well-respected climate change research center in Britain and posted hundreds of private e-mails and documents online - stoking debate over whether some scientists have ...
Survey: Scientists agree human-induced global warming is real
Jan 19, 2009 |
2.5 / 5 (36) |
43
While the harsh winter pounding many areas of North America and Europe seemingly contradicts the fact that global warming continues unabated, a new survey finds consensus among scientists about the reality of climate change ...
Global sunscreen won't save corals
Jun 16, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (13) |
1
Emergency plans to counteract global warming by artificially shading the Earth from incoming sunlight might lower the planet's temperature a few degrees, but such "geoengineering" solutions would do little to stop the acidification ...
Fighting climate change by turning CO2 to stone
Nov 17, 2009 |
3.4 / 5 (12) |
4
(PhysOrg.com) -- While politicians debate the best ways to cut global carbon dioxide emissions, researchers at Idaho National Laboratory's Center for Advanced Energy Studies are charging ahead on a strategy ...
Volcanoes cool the tropics, say researchers
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jan 05, 2009 |
3.1 / 5 (12) |
9
Climate researchers have shown that big volcanic eruptions over the past 450 years have temporarily cooled weather in the tropics—but suggest that such effects may have been masked in the 20th century by rising ...
What could 4 degree warming mean for the world?
Sep 28, 2009 |
2.1 / 5 (13) |
11
(PhysOrg.com) -- A leading climate scientist has presented new research findings on the increasing potential for a 4 degrees Celsius rise in global temperatures if the current high emissions of greenhouse ...
UK climate scientist to temporarily step down
Dec 01, 2009 |
3.3 / 5 (8) |
22
(AP) -- The chief of a prestigious British research center caught in a storm of controversy over claims that he and others suppressed data about climate change has stepped down pending an investigation, the ...
Farmers warned to get ready as climate change threatens crops
Sep 07, 2009 |
2.6 / 5 (9) |
1
Even if global temperatures rise slowly, climate change could slash the yields of some of the world's most important crops almost in half, according to a new study co-authored by an N.C. State University scientist.
As Greenland melts
Oct 19, 2009 |
2.5 / 5 (8) |
3
Not that long ago - the blink of a geologic eye - global temperatures were so warm that ice on Greenland could have been hard to come by. Today, the largest island in the world is covered with ice 1.6 miles ...
Expert: Lift taboo on Earth engineering
Sep 23, 2009 |
3.2 / 5 (5) |
2
(PhysOrg.com) -- The effects of climate change are so uncertain and potentially long-lasting that policymakers should begin examining options that include geoengineering, an area that has so far been off-limits, ...
How can scientists measure evolutionary responses to climate change?
Nov 30, 2009 |
3 / 5 (2) |
0
As global temperatures continue to rise scientists are presented with the complex challenge of understanding how species respond and adapt. In a paper published in Insect Conservation and Diversity, Dr Francisco Rodriguez-Trelles and Dr ...
