Meteorology

Weather and climate are often confused, but the terms describe two different phenomena. Weather is what is happening in the atmosphere right now and what will happen in the near future. It is defined in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloud cover, and wind speed and direction.

In contrast, climate is an accumulation of weather statistics that occur over months or years. Meteorologists use climate data to explain daily weather and make predictions about extreme weather patterns.

Climate Patterns

A climate pattern is any regular cycle that occurs within climate over a period of time. Climate patterns include regular occurrences, such as the yearly change of seasons, and more periodic events, such as El Niño.

The circulation of the atmosphere in the form of wind is the result of Earth’s rotation in combination with the influx of energy from the sun. As hot air rises around the equator, it travels north and south toward Earth’s poles and circulates within distinct cells.

Together with the tides, or the rise and fall of sea levels produced by gravity and Earth’s rotation, atmospheric circulation transfers energy and heat throughout the planet.

Erosion sometimes occurs as a result of this flow of wind and water. When earthen materials, such as soil or rock, are transferred from one location to another as a result of wind or water, it is called erosion.