Climate is the average pattern of weather and
temperature in a particular area over a long period of time. Similar types of
climate are found in different places around the world. For example, there are
regions of hot, dry desert in Africa and North America, as well as across
central Australia. It is a region’s climate, together with its physical
landscape, that determines the kind of vegetation, or plant life, that is
usually found there. Cold areas near the poles and icy mountain peaks support
little, or no, vegetation. Hot, wet rain forests near the equator, however,
encourage the fast growth of a variety of plants
SEASONS OF THE YEAR
As the Earth travels around the Sun, the tilt on
its axis means that each place leans gradually nearer the Sun, and then farther
away from it. This causes the seasons. When the northern hemisphere leans
toward the Sun it has summer. When it tilts away it has winter. In the southern
hemisphere this is reversed. Between the warm days of summer and the cold days
of winter come spring and fall. The Earth also spins on its axis, turning once every
24 hours to give us day and night. The side facing the Sun has day, while the
other side has night.
Changes in world climate. The world’s climate can
be changed by both natural as well as human events. When Mt. Pinatubo, a
volcano in the Philippines, erupted in 1991, it threw ash and dust high into
the atmosphere. Locally, this caused dark skies, heavy rainfall, and high
winds. Equally, events such as the massive oil fires in Kuwait, started during
the Gulf War, can have a damaging effect on climate.
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