Question
What is climate? Provide information about the climate.

Answer

  • The average conditions of weather over a longer period of time is Climate.
  • Normally climate is determined on the basis of weather conditions of a region over a period of $35$ years or more.
  • Elements of Climate:
$(1)$ Insolation and Temperature:
  • The heat received from the Sun is known as Insolation.
  • Amount of insolation varies with latitude.
  • In tropical regions, Sun rays fall vertically, so temperature remains high.
  • In Polar Regions.
  • Sun’s rays fall oblique, so temperature remains low.
  • On the basis of insolation and temperature, a regions climate may be hot or cold, moderate or extreme.
$(2)$ Pressure and Winds:
  • Latitude, distance from the sea, physical features, location, altitude, forest regions and such other factors result in formation of low and high pressure areas.
  • Low pressure is experienced in equatorial regions due to heat, while in cold Polar Regions; high pressure is experienced due to the cold.
  • Thus, under the influence of various factors, low and high pressures are formed.
  • Air moves from areas of high pressure to that of low pressure.
  • When there is high pressure over the sea, moist winds from here blow towards the low pressure areas over continents and bring rain.
  • As winds coming from sea are cool, sea coast has a moderate climate.
  • In areas where dry winds blow, there is scanty rain and climate becomes extreme.
  • Thus, pressure and winds play an important role in changing climate of a region.
$(3)$ Humidity and Rain:
  • Water present in the atmosphere in the form of vapour is Humidity.
  • Amount of humidity depends on the rate of evaporation.
  • In dry desert regions due to less rain and in polar regions due to less evaporation, humidity is low.
  • Hence there is low rainfall. In equatorial regions, Sun’s rays fall vertically throughout the year and so there is highest evaporation.
  • Worlds heaviest rainfall is recorded here.
  • Air moisture makes the weather steamy.
  • Hence the humid climate of equatorial region is not healthy for humans.
  • Thus humidity and rain determine whether climate is dry or humid.

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