Meteorology is the science dealing with the atmosphere and its phenomena, including both weather and climate. 5 – 8. Earth Science, Climatology, Meteorology
Key Points
- Climate refers to the long-term, predictable atmospheric conditions of a specific area; it does not address the amount of rain that fell on one particular day or the colder-than-average temperatures on a given day in a biome.
- Weather refers to the conditions of the atmosphere during a short period of time; weather forecasts are usually made for 48-hour cycles.
- Specific, one-off weather occurrences are not necessarily indicators of climate change.
Key Terms
- biome: any major regional biological community such as that of forest or desert
- climate: long-term manifestations of weather and other atmospheric conditions in a given area or country in a period long enough to ensure that representative values are obtained (generally 30 years)
- weather: the short term state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place, including the temperature, humidity, cloud cover, precipitation, wind, etc.
Climate and Weather
A common misconception about global climate change is that a specific weather event occurring in a particular region (for example, a very cool week in June in central Indiana) is evidence of global climate change. However, a cold week in June is a weather-related event and not a climate-related one. These misconceptions often arise because of confusion over the terms climate and weather.
Climate refers to the long-term, predictable atmospheric conditions of a specific area. The climate of a biome is characterized by having consistent temperature and annual rainfall ranges. Climate does not address the amount of rain that fell on one particular day in a biome or the colder-than-average temperatures that occurred on one day. In contrast, weather refers to the conditions of the atmosphere during a short period of time. Weather forecasts are usually made for 48-hour cycles; while long-range weather forecasts are available, they can be unreliable.
