Related topics: climate change
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
Climate projections underestimate CO2 impact
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 10, 2009 |
2.8 / 5 (16) |
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The climate may be 30-50 percent more sensitive to atmospheric carbon dioxide in the long term than previously thought, according to a recent study published in Nature Geoscience.
UK climate scientist to temporarily step down
Dec 01, 2009 |
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(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 ...
How can scientists measure evolutionary responses to climate change?
Nov 30, 2009 |
3 / 5 (2) |
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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 ...
Search results for global temperatures
New discoveries could improve climate projections
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 11, 2009 |
3 / 5 (3) |
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New discoveries about the deep ocean's temperature variability and circulation system could help improve projections of future climate conditions.
Global warming likely to be amplified by slow changes to Earth systems
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 20, 2009 |
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Researchers studying a period of high carbon dioxide levels and warm climate several million years ago have concluded that slow changes such as melting ice sheets amplified the initial warming caused by greenhouse ...
Study: Slowdown in warming last year not permanent
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 04, 2009 |
3.3 / 5 (19) |
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(AP) -- Cooler temperatures in North America last year do not mean global warming is easing, government and academic scientists said Friday.
Giant iceberg spotted south of Australia
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 09, 2009 |
4.1 / 5 (16) |
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A monster iceberg nearly twice the size of Hong Kong island has been spotted drifting towards Australia in what scientists Wednesday called a once-in-a-century event.
Study: Earth's polar ice sheets vulnerable to even moderate global warming
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 16, 2009 |
2.8 / 5 (46) |
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A new analysis of the geological record of the Earth's sea level, carried out by scientists at Princeton and Harvard universities and published in the Dec. 16 issue of Nature, employs a novel statistical approa ...
Climate change in Kuwait Bay
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 30, 2009 |
3.7 / 5 (13) |
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Since 1985, seawater temperature in Kuwait Bay, northern Arabian Gulf, has increased on average 0.6°C per decade. This is about three times faster than the global average rate reported by the Intergovernmental ...
Scientists map speed of climate change
Dec 23, 2009 |
2.8 / 5 (25) |
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New study finds that the average ecosystem will need to shift about a quarter mile per year to keep pace with global climate change.
Disproportionate effects of global warming and pollution on disadvantaged communities
Dec 22, 2009 |
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Global warming, pollution, and the environmental consequences of energy production impose a greater burden on low-income, disadvantaged communities, and strategies to prevent these inequities are urgently needed. A provocative ...
Half of Britons deny climate change man-made: poll
Dec 06, 2009 |
3.8 / 5 (13) |
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Almost half of Britons do not believe human behaviour is the main cause of global warming, a new poll showed Sunday, a day before world leaders begin crunch climate talks in Copenhagen.
Sunshine speeded 1940s Swiss glacier melt: scientists
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 14, 2009 |
5 / 5 (4) |
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A surge in sunshine more than 60 years ago helped Swiss mountain glaciers melt faster than today, even though warmer average temperatures are being recorded now, Swiss researchers said Monday.
List of search results for global temperatures
