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Winter is one of the four Season s of Temperate zones. It is the season with the shortest days and the lowest Temperature s. In areas farther from the Equator , winter is often marked by Snow . Depending on place and culture, what is considered to be the start and end of winter vary. Contemporary Meteorology takes winter to be the months of December, January, and February in the Northern Hemisphere and June, July, and August in the Southern Hemisphere . However, many cultures in Europe and East Asia consider winter to begin in November. .]] METEOROLOGICAL ASPECTS Meteorological winter is the season having the shortest days (which vary greatly according to Latitude ) and the lowest temperatures. Nighttime predominates the winter season, and in some regions it has the highest rate of Precipitation as well as prolonged dampness due to permanent snow cover in such areas. Measured Astronomically , winter begins on the shortest day of the year, and each day of winter has more sunlight than the previous one. Outside the equatorial areas, winter is cold and (particularly in the Northern Hemisphere) snowy. Blizzard s often develop and cause many transportation delays. A rare meteorological phenomenon encountered during winter is Ice Fog , which is composed of Ice Crystal s suspended in the air and happening only at very low temperatures, below about −30 °C {Link without Title} . TIME PERIOD OF WINTER Astronomically, it starts with the Winter Solstice (around December 21 in the Northern Hemisphere and June 21 in the Southern Hemisphere), and ends with the Spring Equinox (around March 21 in the Northern Hemisphere and September 23 in the Southern Hemisphere). In Meteorology , it is by convention counted instead as the whole months of June, July and August in the Southern Hemisphere and December, January and February in the Northern Hemisphere. However, in the United Kingdom and Ireland the winter solstice is traditionally considered as midwinter, the winter season beginning November 1 on All Hallows or Samhain . In Chinese Astronomy (and other East Asia n Calendars ), winter is taken to commence on or around November 7 , with the '' Jiéqì '' known as (立冬 ''lì dōng'', literally "establishment of winter".) WHAT CAUSES WINTER by Sun in the Northern Hemisphere winter]] The tilt of the earth's axis relative to its orbital plane has a dramatic effect on the weather. The popular belief that winter is caused by the Earth being farther from the Sun than in summer is not true. In fact, winter occurs in the Northern Hemisphere when the Earth is closest to the Sun. The earth is tilted at an angle of 23°27' (23 degrees 27 minutes) to the plane of its orbit, and this causes different latitudes on the Earth to directly face the Sun as the Earth moves through its orbit. It is this variation that primarily brings about the seasons. When it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere faces the Sun more directly and thus experiences warmer temperatures than the Northern Hemisphere. During winter in either hemisphere, sunlight hits that hemisphere at an oblique angle. In regions experiencing winter, the same amount of Solar Radiation is spread out over a larger area (see Effect Of Sun Angle On Climate ). This effect is compounded by the larger distance that the light must travel through the atmosphere, allowing the atmosphere to filter more of this already limited heat. ECOLOGY is one animal that changes color in winter]] Animals To survive the harshness of winter, many animals have developed different behavioral and morphological adaptations:
Plants Annual Plant s never survive the winter. As for Perennial Plant s, many small ones profit from the insulating effects of snow by being buried in it. Larger plants, particularly Deciduous Trees , usually let their upper part die, but their roots are still protected by the snow layer. Few plants bloom in the winter, though exceptions include the Flowering Apricot (which flowers in time for Chinese New Year ). ACTIVITIES See Also: Winter sport Snow activities
Ice activities
PSYCHOLOGY Passing seasons change the habits and moods of people. Around winter months, a gloominess, called "winter blues" or "February blahs" or "Holiday depression", during November and December in the northern hemisphere, is informally noted amongst people. The severest cases of this type of Depression is diagnosed as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Symptoms include sleeping more, tiredness, depression, and physical aches. Although causes include genetic disposition and stress, the prevailing environmental influence is decreased exposure to Light due to winter weather patterns. THE SYMBOLISM OF WINTER Winter is highly Symbol ic of many things to many people and has been used to represent various things by artists in all media. Some use winter to suggest death, as in Robert Frost 's "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening". Some use it to suggest the absence of hope, as in C. S. Lewis 's '' The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe ,'' where it was always winter but never Christmas . Winter is one movement in Vivaldi 's "The Four Seasons"; and there are many examples of four paintings, all showing the same scene in different seasons. Ursula K. LeGuin's novel '' The Left Hand Of Darkness '' is set on a planet named Winter. In Alex Raymond 's comic strip, '' Flash Gordon '', there is a land called Frigia, where it is always winter. The land of Frigia is also featured in the serial '' Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe ''. Other uses of winter in the graphic arts occur in Winsor McCay 's '' Little Nemo In Slumberland ''. There are many films in which a winter setting plays an important role, '' Fargo '' being an example. In addition to this, novels such as ''Ethan Frome'' also use a winter setting to mirror the bleak, frozen feelings that the characters harbor. MYTHOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS OF WINTER In Greek Mythology , Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his wife. Zeus ordered Hades to return her to Demeter , the goddess of the earth and her mother. However, Hades tricked Persephone into eating the food of the dead so Zeus decreed Persephone would spend six months with Demeter and six months with Hades. During the time when her daughter is with Hades, Demeter becomes depressed and causes winter. EXCEPTIONAL WINTERS
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