Two timescales: The weather changes from hour to hour. The climate is the long-term average that the weather varies around.
The points to remember
- Weather = the conditions in the atmosphere at one time, or over a short period (hours or days).
- Weather is described by temperature, humidity, air pressure and wind speed, plus rain and cloud.
- Climate = the average of those conditions over a long period: about 30 years.
- Climate tells you what to expect; weather is what you get on the day.
- One unusual day is weather. Biomes are shaped by climate, not by one day's weather.
Remember it as: Climate is what you expect; weather is what you get.
Weather
- A short period: now, today, this week
- Measured at a place and time
- Can change within hours
Climate
- A long period: about 30 years
- The average of many measurements
- Changes only slowly
Real example: on 19 July 2022 the UK recorded 40.3 °C at Coningsby, its hottest day on record. That was weather. London's climate is mild: its average July temperature is only about 19 °C.
Say how long: Put the time in every definition: weather is short-term; climate is the long-term average, about 30 years. 'Climate is the weather of a place' misses both the average and the time.
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A climate graph shows a climate at a glance. Each value is an average of about 30 years.
How to read it
- Bars = mean monthly precipitation in mm, read on the left axis.
- Line = mean monthly temperature in °C, read on the right axis.
- Wettest or driest month: the tallest or shortest bar. Warmest month: the highest point.
- A range runs from the lowest value to the highest: 'from 5.8 to 19.3 °C'.
- Total annual precipitation = the 12 bars added together.
- Always give the units (°C, mm) and name the month.
Real example: in London the driest month is March (39 mm) and the wettest October (69 mm). July is the warmest month (19.3 °C). The monthly temperatures range from 5.8 to 19.3 °C, and the total is 601 mm a year.
A range has two ends: When asked for a range, give both ends with units: 'from 5.8 to 19.3 °C'. The difference alone (13.5 °C) is not always accepted; both ends always are. Read values carefully: a number close to the graph's is not enough.
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Papers often give two climate graphs and ask you to compare or distinguish them. Build the answer from numbers, one place at a time.
How to compare two climates
- Compare precipitation: the yearly total, and when most of it falls.
- Compare temperature: the warmest and coldest months, and the annual range.
- Use comparing words: wetter, drier, warmer, a greater range.
- Quote numbers from the graph for both places.
- Make one point about each place: a mark is often kept for each one.
| London | Moscow | |
|---|---|---|
| Total precipitation | 601 mm | 718 mm |
| Wettest month | October, 69 mm | July, 84 mm |
| Warmest month | July, 19.3 °C | July, 19.2 °C |
| Coldest month | January, 5.8 °C | January, -6.2 °C |
| Annual temperature range | 13.5 °C | 25.4 °C |
Real example: London is close to the sea, which keeps its winters mild. Moscow is far inland, so its winters are well below freezing and its temperature range is almost twice London's.
Compare, do not just describe: 'Moscow has a cold climate' describes one place. Write 'Moscow's coldest month (-6.2 °C) is 12 °C colder than London's (5.8 °C)'. 'Warmer' or 'drier' alone, with no numbers, is not enough.
Climate also changes with height. Air gets thinner and colder as you climb, so mountains have cooler climates than the lowlands around them.
The points to remember
- Temperature falls as altitude rises: about 6.5 °C for every 1,000 m.
- So one mountain can run from subtropical at its foot to alpine (cold) at the top.
- Precipitation changes with height too: slopes facing the rain-bearing wind are wetter.
- On two maps, state the relationship: 'as elevation increases, temperature decreases'.
Remember it as: Up 1,000 m, down about 6.5 °C.
Real example: in Ecuador, the port of Guayaquil (near sea level) averages about 26 °C all year. The capital, Quito, sits 2,850 m up in the Andes and averages only about 14 °C, though both are close to the equator.
State the pattern: With an elevation map and a climate map, one sentence earns the mark: 'as elevation increases, the climate becomes colder, from subtropical in the valleys to alpine on the peaks'. Naming one zone's height is not a pattern.
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How this comes up: Paper 1, question 1: two climate graphs from the resource booklet. Distinguish between the two climates [2].
Figure 1 shows climate graphs for London, United Kingdom, and Moscow, Russia.
With reference to Figure 1, distinguish between the climates of London and Moscow.
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