The Global Climate System

No matter where one lives on Earth, the weather and climate play important parts in daily life.   The weather is the changing conditions in the atmosphere that occur all around, such as rain, snow, wind or sunshine.

U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

What is climate?

Climate is regional or global and is defined by the long-term averages of the extremes and variations in conditions and temperatures over extended periods of time. The climate system is how the atmospheric conditions are influenced by land and ice masses and oceans and how these affect the surface of the Earth. It is comprised of the following five elements that interact with one another and are influenced by other factors such as the Sun, volcanic eruptions and human.  Read more