hey everyone it's nicholas when was the last time you looked outside to see what the weather was
like or maybe checked your phone to see if it was going to be a great day for a trip to the beach
was it within the last 24 hours the weather has such an impact on our daily
lives that it's usually one of the first things we want to know each day in fact
the weather was the topic of many stories and legends of early humans
most early civilizations prayed to gods who they believed controlled those forces of nature
as we continue our study of the earth's geography and all its uniqueness today
we'll focus on weather and climate do you know the difference between the two join me and find out
so what is the difference between weather and climate many people get confused about the
two but it's not a difficult concept weather is the state of the atmosphere in a given location
is it sunny or cloudy warm or cool windy or calm precipitation temperature and other
related phenomena pertain to the weather it can change day to day or depending on where you live
even a few times during the day weather is the day-to-day conditions of a given location
in some places the weather can change rapidly in just hours or in some cases minutes imagine
being in miami as a tornado ripped through the downtown area in 1997 shortly before this occurred
residents of the area were enjoying sunshine in many parts of the world a quick change in weather
conditions is simply part of life now climate is related but certainly different the climate of a
location refers to the average weather conditions over a long-term period that could be months or
even years predicting the climate is usually much easier than forecasting the weather climate is
fairly consistent but it can change drastically in a region or place over long periods of time
certain factors affect the climate of the location and if those factors change the climate can change
those factors include altitude terrain latitude and bodies of water now as you might expect the
variance in weather and climate around the world has a big effect on people in fact a location's
weather and climate can actually change a culture's food supply its transportation
shelter and clothing in fact climate and weather can even reshape the earth sometimes much faster
than we like first of all the food production of a nation or region depends greatly on the weather
and climate often early cultures would base their entire diet on the food available to them based
on the climate and the weather for example the conditions in many places in vietnam are perfect
for growing rice a blend of climate terrain and other conditions made rice a staple in the diets
of asians for centuries on the other side of the world corn became a primary food source for many
native americans while hunting and other crops were staples as well corn was grown harvested
and stored to provide food year round weather and climate can affect both the quality of food
being grown as well as the quantity today with new technologies and packaging and transporting food
people have many more options than they once did however both the crops and livestock grown can
still depend greatly on the climate of a location the homes built in many parts of the world are
also affected greatly by weather and climate for example you probably wouldn't see this type of
dwelling anywhere near the caribbean even in modern times shelter is very much predicated
on climate around the world homes look different based on geographic and climatological conditions
this home found in indonesia is made for local conditions but would not hold up well in many
regions just as homes are designed with weather patterns in mind so are cities and towns around
the globe most of the world's population lives in climates that are more pleasant and less harsh
this city in spain is just one such example in fact most of the world's population lives in
what is called the temperate climate region we'll soon learn more about other climate regions around
the world but much of china and india the world's most populous nations are located in the temperate
climate which features year-round temperatures that are warmer than much of the planet
the clothing worn by people around the world is of course based on climate and weather as well
this guy probably isn't heading to a warm beach anytime soon
but hopefully he's ready for a blizzard and sub-zero temperatures transportation can be
affected by climate too while modern technology greatly allows human access to just about anywhere
certain limitations still apply in many conditions while humans today are able to adapt to their
surroundings using modern technology the earth is still changing each day and the weather and
climate are a big part of that change weather such as the sun wind and rain along with water
currents from oceans and rivers continue to reshape the earth's surface slowly but surely
as we learned previously erosion is a primary way that change happens for example the grand canyon
is shaped by erosion from both wind and water so to review weather and climate affect the earth
significantly whether is the day-to-day change in temperature precipitation and other events
climate on the other hand is the weather of a location over a longer period of time usually
years finally both weather and climate affect each region and every location on earth's surface
the earth is ever-changing and humans are always adapting to those changes
as well as the weather and the climate as we near the end of our first unit on world geography we
hope that you're learning a great deal about the earth and all it has to offer until next time