Climate Change ~An Introduction~ Weather and Climate Weather Atmospheric conditions for a specific place at a specific time. Climate The average weather conditions that occur in a region over a long period of time (e.g., 30 years). Check Your Understanding August is the wettest month of the year in Toronto. Climate Mondays low temperature was 4 o C in Oakville. Weather Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans on August 29, Weather Victoria, B.C. has the warmest winters in Canada. Climate Key Terminology Temperature: A measure of how fast particles are moving. Units: Celsius ( o C) Precipitation: Condensed water that falls to the ground (e.g., snow, rain, sleet, drizzle, etc.) Units: millimeters (mm) Clouds: Condensed water/ice too small to fall to the ground. Key Terminology Humidity: The relative amount of water vapour in the air. Units: % Wind: Movement of air over the Earths surface. Units: km/h Jet Stream: Narrow, fast air currents found high in the atmosphere. Key Weather and Climate Terms Atmospheric Pressure: A measure of the force per unit of area produced by the particles of gas in the atmosphere. Units: kilopascal (kPa) Low Pressure: cloudy, rainy weather. High Pressure: clear, sunny weather. Biomes A large geographical area with a similar climate (e.g., temperature and precipitation). Contain specific types of plants and animals that adapted to these conditions. Desert Less than 25 cm of rain per year. Found in hot and cold regions. Tropical Rainforest More than 200 cm of rain per year. Daily temperatures between 22 34C. Found near equator. Temperate Deciduous Forest Up to 150 cm of rain per year. Experiences all four seasons. Climatographs Combine a line and bar graph. Line (red): average monthly temperature. Bars (blue): average monthly precipitation