Introduction to the Basic Drivers of Climate

• Main Author: Stevens, Alison P.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 2010
• Subjects: climate; sunlight intensity; global winds; precipitation; ocean circulation; El Nino; Environmental Sciences; Natural Resources and Conservation; Natural Resources Management and Policy; Other Environmental Sciences; Arctic; Antarctic; Antarc*; Climate change
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/natrespapers/1010; https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/natrespapers/article/2017/viewcontent/RS_3830.pdf

Climates on Earth vary from the warm, wet tropics to the cold, dry Arctic and Antarctic. What drives this variation? Every day, we note the weather: temperature, rain, cloud cover, wind and humidity. Climate is the long-term prevailing weather in an area and is largely determined by temperature and precipitation. The climate in a desert is hot and dry. The climate in the tropics is warm and wet. The climate of a particular area is the largest determinant to the life found there. Climate is a key focus in ecology. Variations in climate include daily and seasonal cycles. Climatic variation also includes changes over several years, such as El Niño events, or even decades. Longer-term climate change occurs as a result of changes in intensity and distribution of solar radiation reaching Earth’s surface. Sunlight Intensity Is a Key Component of Climate; Sunlight Intensity Affects Global Winds, Precipitation Patterns, and Ocean Circulation Which Are All Components of Climate; Regional Climate Patterns; Microclimates; El Niño-Southern Oscillation