What is the climate and what happens to it?

We often use such concepts as "weather" and "climate". But do we always clearly imagine what it is? And if we know more about the weather, then not all will say what climate is like. Let's try to figure this out.

The weather is the state of the atmospheric layer of air near the surface of the earth above a certain territory at a given time. It depends on many very diverse factors and, first of all, on those processes that take place in the atmosphere.

The weather is very volatile, it can change several times during the day. But if you look closely, watch it for a year, you can see some permanent properties. For example, alternating in a certain sequence of warm and cold weather, its change by the seasons. These are the features that are characteristic of a given locality, called the climate. In other words, what climate is, one can say this is the long-term weather regime in the given territory.

Why is it different?

Since the Earth has a spherical shape, its surface is illuminated by the Sun unequally. At the poles, the sun's rays almost do not heat the surface, sliding and reflecting from the snow cover, they go back into space. What is the climate of the polar regions is a constant cold, eternal snow and ice.

But in the equatorial region it's always hot, here the lighting is maximum, so the Sun is always at the zenith. On either side of the equator there are areas with the hottest conditions, they are called the tropics. In these areas, it is not only always warm, but they are also the most humid, because of the high temperatures, a lot of moisture evaporates. The abundance of rainfall and warm air contribute to the rapid growth of vegetation. There is no such species diversity of representatives of flora and fauna on the planet anywhere else. Additionally , it is not necessary to explain in what climate tropical forests grow, but why in the same tropics there are many deserts, it is necessary to clarify.

The air saturated with moisture when moving from the equator to the poles gradually becomes drier. In the tropical latitudes, there is almost no moisture in it, because of this there are such corners on Earth where for several years no drop of rain falls. In such conditions, deserts are formed, in particular, the largest desert in the world of Sahara.

What is the climate of the highlands?

In the mountains it is much colder than on the plains, and these changes are associated with altitude. The higher from the foot, the more severe the climate becomes, since the temperature of the air is lowered from the earth's surface. At the same time, such a pattern is observed - it is colder by 6 ° C every 1000 meters.

The impact of climate on human life

The weather can change several times a day, the climate also changes, only much more slowly, it takes thousands of years. It is influenced not only by natural factors, for example, volcanic eruptions, but also by the results of human activity. Deforestation, destruction of the ozone layer, pollution of atmospheric air - all this has a negative impact on the Earth's climate.

Changes, even the most insignificant, can lead to great problems for humanity. The location of natural areas is changing, in some areas there is a change in the types of vegetation and wildlife, melting glaciers and ice fields in the Arctic Ocean. All this will affect not only the living conditions of people, but also their economic activities.