Causes of Climate Change
- Earth's temperature is a balancing act.
- The greenhouse effect causes the atmosphere to retain heat.
- Changes in the sun's energy affect how much energy reaches Earth's system.
- Changes in reflectivity affect how much energy enters Earth's system.
Humans are increasingly influencing the climate and the earth's temperature by burning fossil fuels, cutting down rainforests and farming livestock. This adds enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and global warming.
Temperate ClimateA continental moderate climate is another sub-type of temperate climates. These regions have hot, rainy summers and cold, dry winters.
The two most important factors in the climate of an area are temperature and precipitation. The yearly average temperature of the area is obviously important, but the yearly range in temperature is also important. Some areas have a much larger range between highest and lowest temperature than other areas.
There are approximately five main climate types on Earth:
- Tropical.
- Dry.
- Temperate.
- Continental.
- Polar.
These have been caused by many natural factors, including changes in the sun, emissions from volcanoes, variations in Earth's orbit and levels of carbon dioxide.
Temperatures are rising world-wide due to greenhouse gases trapping more heat in the atmosphere. Droughts are becoming longer and more extreme around the world. Tropical storms becoming more severe due to warmer ocean water temperatures.
COUNTRIES MOST AFFECTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE
- JAPAN (Climate Risk Index: 5.5)
- PHILIPPINES (Climate Risk Index: 11.17)
- GERMANY (Climate Risk Index: 13.83)
- MADAGASCAR (Climate Risk Index: 15.83)
- INDIA (Climate Risk Index: 18.17)
- SRI LANKA (Climate Risk Index: 19)
- KENYA (Climate Risk Index: 19.67)
- RUANDA (Climate Risk Index: 21.17)
The three main factors of weather are light (solar radiation), water (moisture) and temperature.
Weather conditions are determined by six major factors: air temperature, air pressure, humidity of the air, amount and kind of cloud cover, amount and kind of precipitation, and speed and direction of the wind.
The five factors that determine the weather of any land area are: the amount of solar energy received because of latitude; the area's elevation or proximity to mountains; nearness to large bodies of water and relative temperatures of land and water; the number of such storm systems as cyclones, hurricanes, and
The climate of any particular place is influenced by a host of interacting factors. These include latitude, elevation, nearby water, ocean currents, topography, vegetation, and prevailing winds.
Familiar aspects of weather include temperature, precipitation, clouds, and wind that people experience throughout the course of a day. Severe weather conditions include hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and droughts. Climate is the long-term average of the weather in a given place.
The major factors which influence the amount of insolation received are:
- Rotation of the earth on its axis.
- The angle of incidence of the sun's rays.
- Duration of the day.
- Transparency of the atmosphere.
Higher temperatures mean that heat waves are likely to happen more often and last longer, too. That's because increasing air temperature also affects the oceans, weather patterns, snow and ice, and plants and animals. The warmer it gets, the more severe the impacts on people and the environment will be.
Large bodies of water such as oceans, seas, and large lakes affect the climate of an area. Water heats and cools more slowly than land. Therefore, in the summer, the coastal regions will stay cooler and in winter warmer. A more moderate climate with a smaller temperature range is created.
