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Climate is the average and variations of weather over long periods of time. Climate zones can be defined using parameters such as temperature and rainfall. Paleoclimatology focuses on ancient climate information derived from sediment found in lake beds, ice cores, as well as various fauna and flora including tree rings and coral. Climate models can be used to determine the amount of climate change anticipated in the future. DEFINITION Climate (from ancient word "Clime") is commonly defined as the Weather averaged over a long period of time. The standard averaging period is 30 years but other periods may be used depending on the purpose. Climate also includes statistics other than the average, such as the magnitudes of day-to-day or year-to-year variations. The Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC) glossary definition is: : ''Climate in a narrow sense is usually defined as the “average weather”, or more rigorously, as the statistical description in terms of the mean and variability of relevant quantities over a period of time ranging from months to thousands or millions of years. The classical period is 30 years, as defined by the World Meteorological Organization (. The main difference between climate and everyday weather is best summarized by the popular phrase "Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get."National Weather Service Office Tucson, Arizona. Main page. Retrieved on of the ocean distributes heat energy between the equatorial and polar regions; other Ocean Currents do the same between land and water on a more regional scale. Degree of vegetation coverage affects solar heat absorption, water retention, and rainfall on a regional level. Alterations in the quantity of atmospheric Greenhouse Gas es determines the amount of solar energy retained by the planet, leading to Global Warming or Global Cooling . The variables which determine climate are numerous and the interactions complex, but there is general agreement that the broad outlines are understood, at least insofar as the determinants of historical climate change are concerned. CLASSIFICATIONS , based upon climate studies from the USDA]] In the original Greek sense,'' ' Clime ,' '' was a concept used to divide the world into climatic zones sharing similar climatic attributes such as temperature, length of the solar day (sunlight), and in particular Latitudinal distance from the Equator .Fifth Annual Middle East Studies Regional Conference ( 2003-03-22 ). ''The Itinerary of Alexander through the Seven Climes of Antiquity according to the Aljamiado-Morisco Rrekontamiento del rrey Alisandre.'' Santa Barbara, CA. Modern data and analysis show that the latitudinal concepts of antiquity are too simplistic. Instead, the latitudinal trend is altered by such features as Hill s or Mountain Range s, large Lake s, and Sea s or Ocean s. Consequently, today's ''climate regions'' are classified on the basis of . Another classification system is the Thornthwaite Climate Classification . In broad terms, climate zones range in latitude from tropical (hot, no real seasons based on temperature) to mid-latitude (moderate; conventional winter-spring-summer-autumn seasons) to polar (cold; strong seasonality; long winters). They also divide into continental (high contrast between summer and winter) and maritime (ocean influence moderates temperature extremes, but generally contribute extra moisture to local weather patterns). The mid-latitude 'conventional four seasons' only work well in the mid-latitudes. In other regions, the more useful divide is into "wet" and "dry" seasons based on the Monsoon . ;For more details about specific climates, see:
CLIMATE RECORD Modern Details of the modern climate record are known through the taking of measurements from such weather instruments as . Paleoclimatology Paleoclimatology is the study of climate change taken on a longer scale, spanning a greater section of the . CLIMATE CHANGE See Also: Climate change Global warming temperature record attribution of recent climate change Climate change refers to the variation in the Earth 's global Climate or in regional climates over time. It describes changes in the variability or average state of the atmosphere over time scales ranging from decades to millions of years. These changes can be caused by processes internal to the Earth, external forces (e.g. variations in sunlight intensity) or, more recently, human activities. In recent usage, especially in the context of Environmental Policy , the term "climate change" often refers only to changes in modern climate, including the rise in average surface Temperature known as Global Warming . In some cases, the term is also used with a presumption of human causation, as in the United Nations Framework Convention On Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCCC uses "climate variability" for non-human caused variations.http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/wg1/518.htm Earth has undergone periodic climate shifts in the past, including four major . Climate models See Also: Climate models Climatology Climate models use quantitative methods to simulate the interactions of the Atmosphere , Ocean s, land surface, and ice. They are used for a variety of purposes from study of the dynamics of the weather and climate system to projections of future climate. All climate models balance, or very nearly balance, incoming energy as short wave (including visible) electromagnetic radiation to the earth with outgoing energy as long wave (infrared) electromagnetic radiation from the earth. Any unbalance results in a change in the average temperature of the earth. The most talked-about models of recent years have been those relating temperature to emissions of Carbon Dioxide (see Greenhouse Gas ). These models predict an upward trend in the Surface Temperature Record , as well as a more rapid increase in temperature at higher altitudes. Models can range from relatively simple to quite complex:
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