Climate is the one who?

Climate is the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area. Weather can change from hour-to-hour,
day-to-day, month-to-month or even year-to-year. A region’s weather patterns, usually tracked for at
least 30 years, are considered its climate.

Climate System

Different parts of the world have different climates. Some parts of the world are hot and rainy nearly
every day. They have a tropical wet climate. Others are cold and snow-covered most of the year. They
have a polar climate. Between the icy poles and the steamy tropics are many other climates that
contribute to Earth’s biodiversity and geologic heritage.

Climate is determined by a region’s climate system. A climate system has five major components:

the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the cryosphere, the land surface, and the biosphere.

The atmosphere is the most variable part of the climate system. The composition and movement
of gases surrounding the Earth can change radically, influenced by natural and human-made factors.

Changes to the hydrosphere, which include variations in temperature and salinity, occur at much slower

rates than changes to the atmosphere.

The cryosphere is another generally consistent part of the climate system. Ice sheets and glaciers reflect

sunlight, and the thermal conductivity of ice and permafrost profoundly influences temperature.
The cryosphere also helps regulate thermohaline circulation. This “ocean conveyor belt” has
an enormous influence on marine ecosystems and biodiversity.

Topography

Topography and vegetation influence climate by helping determine how the Sun’s energy is used on

Earth. The abundance of plants and the type of land cover (such as soil, sand, or asphalt)
impacts evaporation and ambient temperature.

The biosphere, the sum total of living things on Earth, profoundly influences climate.

Through photosynthesis, plants help regulate the flow of greenhouse gases in
the atmosphere. Forests and oceans serve as “carbon sinks” that have a cooling impact on climate.
Living organisms alter the landscape, through both natural growth and created structures such
as burrows, dams, and mounds. These altered landscapes can influence weather patterns such
as wind, erosion, and even temperature.

Climate Features

The most familiar features of a region’s climate are probably average temperature and precipitation.

Changes in day-to-day, day-to-night, and seasonal variations also help determine specific climates. For
example, San Francisco, California, and Beijing, China, have similar
yearly temperatures and precipitation. However, the daily and seasonal changes make San Francisco and
Beijing very different. San Francisco’s winters are not much cooler than its summers, while Beijing is hot
in summer and cold in winter. San Francisco’s summers are dry and its winters are wet. Wet and dry
seasons are reversed in Beijing—it has rainy summers and dry winters.

Climate features also include windiness, humidity, cloud cover, atmospheric pressure,

and fogginess. Latitude plays a huge factor in determining climate. Landscape can also help
define regional climate. A region’s elevation, proximity to the ocean or freshwater, and land-use
patterns can all impact climate.

All climates are the product of many factors, including latitude, elevation, topography, distance from the

ocean, and location on a continent. The rainy, tropical climate of West Africa, for example,
is influenced by the region’s location near the Equator (latitude) and its position on the western side of
the continent. The area receives direct sunlight year-round, and sits at an area called the intertropical
convergence zone (ITCZ, pronounced “itch”), where moist trade winds meet. As a result,
the region’s climate is warm and rainy.