ANT 160 Lecture 31: Notes
9 Dec 2017
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Document Summary
Weather: the state of the atmosphere at some place and time, usually expressed in terms of temperature, air pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction, precipitation, and cloudiness. Climate: the average (mean) of weather elements, such as temperature and precipitation, over a specified period of time. Climate change: a significant and sustained (over decades or longer) change from one climatic condition to another. Occurs when the patterns change in time and space. Global warming: a specific kind of climate change in which earth"s average temperature is increasing. Climate changes naturally on a range of timescales, from decadal (tens of years), centennial (hundreds of years), millennial (thousands of years), and longer (glacial cycles) Climate changes naturally on a range of spatial scales, from local and regional to global. Why should we be interested in climate change. Climate determines the type and location of human-managed ecosystems, such as agricultural farmlands.
