Weather and Climate Test 2

The amount of water vapour in the air is called absolute humidity.

The amount of water vapour in the air as compared with the amount of water that the air could hold is called relative humidity.

Although some deserts are very hot, with daytime temperatures as high as 54°C (130°F), other deserts have cold winters or are cold year-round. And most deserts, far from being empty and lifeless, are home to a variety of plants, animals, and other organisms.

Coastal areas will generally have more moderate temperatures than inland areas because of the heat capacity of the ocean.

• We live at the bottom of an invisible ocean called the atmosphere, a layer of gases surrounding our planet.
• Nitrogen and oxygen account for 99 percent of the gases in dry air, with argon, carbon dioxide, helium, neon, and other gases making up minute portions.
• Water vapour and dust are also part of Earth's atmosphere.

• Barometers measure this pressure.
• Atmospheric pressure is an indicator of weather.
• Changes in the atmosphere, including changes in air pressure, affect the weather.

Climate is defined as an area's long-term weather patterns.

The simplest way to describe climate is to look at average temperature and precipitation over time.

Wind vanes measure wind direction and are often used with anemometers, which measure wind speed.

Campbell Scientific offers a variety of anemometer designs: cup, propeller, ultrasonic, sonic, and lidar.

The elements of weather and climate are-temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity and precipitation.

The study of weather is called meteorology, and a person who studies the weather is called a meteorologist.

Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences with a major focus on weather forecasting.

Weather describes the condition of the atmosphere over a short period of time e.g. from day to day or week to week, while climate describes average conditions over a longer period of time.