Climate

The climate (ancient Greek: κλίμα) is the weather averaged over a long period of time. A descriptive saying is that "climate is what you expect, weather is what you get." The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) glossary definition is:

Climate determinants

In a given geographical region, the climate generally does not vary over time on the scale of a human life span. However, over geological time, climate can vary considerably for a given place on the Earth. For example, Scandinavia has been through a number of ice ages over hundreds of thousands of years (the last one ending about 10,000 years ago). Paleoclimatology is the study of these past climates, their origin, and by extension, the origin of today's climate.

Related Topics:
Geological time - Scandinavia - Ice age - Paleoclimatology

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Over historic time spans there are a number of static variables that determine climate including: altitude, proportion of land to water, and proximity to oceans and mountains. Other climate determinants are more dynamic: The Thermohaline circulation of the ocean distributes heat energy between the equatorial and polar regions; other ocean currents do the same between land and water on a more regional scale. Degree of vegetation coverage affects solar heat absorption, water retention, and rainfall on a regional level. Alterations in the quantity of atmospheric greenhouse gases determines the amount of solar energy retained by the planet, leading to global warming (or cooling). The variables which determine climate are numerous and the interactions complex but there is general agreement that the broad outlines are understood, at least in so far as the determinates of historical climate change are concerned.

Related Topics:
Historic - Thermohaline circulation - Ocean currents - Greenhouse gases - Global warming

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