EESA09H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Thermodynamics, Mount Pinatubo, Gaia Hypothesis
8 Aug 2018
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Document Summary
Weather: the current atmospheric conditions that include the current temperature, winds, humidity, pressure, etc. Climate: the atmospheric conditions that take into consideration years of the average weather using statistical methods. Understanding climate can allow for long term predictions of weather patterns and conditions. Climate can be influenced by many factors: Latitude: areas closer to the equator receive more direct sunlight and is therefore warmer than the poles. The change in distance or angle of the sunlight in different seasons also affect the climate. Global circulation: strong, long distance winds can affect the local weather such as the movement and development of storms and its frequency. Air masses: modification of air masses due to the change in topography can change the humidity and temperature of the air masses. Geography: topographical features such as mountains or bodies of water can influence the local conditions of the atmosphere.
