Climate and Adaptation Notes

• The terms, hot, cold, rainy, etc., describe the weather of a place.
• Weather tells us about the changes that take place in the atmosphere at a given place and time. It can change within a very short time.
• Weather of a place over a long period of time is called climate.
• Weather refers to what is happening in the atmosphere now or what may happen in the next few days.
• Climate refers to the weather conditions of a place over a long period of time.

• Both weather and climate affect our lives in many ways.
• Our way of living, the clothes we wear, the crops we grow, the food we eat, and many other things depend on the weather and climate of the place that we live in.
• Many factors such as temperature, rainfall, humidity, etc., determine the weather of a place. Scientists monitor these 'weather factors' every day by using specially designed instruments like maximum-minimum thermometer, hygrometer, rain gauge, etc.
• A special thermometer called the maximum-minimum thermometer is used to measure the maximum and minimum temperatures in a day.

Maximum- minimum thermometer

• On the Earth, the climate of a place depends on many factors such as distance from the equator (latitude), height above sea level, distance from the sea and mountains, and so on.

Distance from the Equator (Latitude):

• Places closer to the equator are warmer than the places closer to the poles.

Sun rays falling on Earth

Height above Sea Level and Distance from the Sea and Mountains: