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Winter is one of the four Season s of Temperate zones. Almost all English-language calendars, going by astronomy, state that winter begins on the Winter Solstice , and ends on the Spring Equinox . Calculated more by the weather, it begins and ends earlier and is the season with the shortest days and the lowest Temperature s. Either way, it generally has Cold Weather and, especially in the farther north, Snow and Ice . Depending on place and culture, start and end of winter can be defined as above or in other ways. Contemporary Meteorology takes winter to be the months of June, July, and August in the Southern Hemisphere , and December, January, and February in the Northern Hemisphere . However, many cultures in Europe and East Asia consider winter to begin in November. ASPECTS Meteorology 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. During winter, 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 Astronomically, winter starts with the Winter Solstice , and ends with the Spring Equinox . 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 Celtic countries such as Ireland using the Irish Calendar , the winter solstice is traditionally considered as midwinter, the winter season beginning November 1 on All Hallows or Samhain . Winter ends and spring begins on Imbolc or Candlemas , which is February 1 or 2. This system of seasons is based on the length of days exclusively. The three-month period of the shortest days and weakest solar radiation occurs during November, December and January in the Northern Hemisphere (May-July in the Southern). 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".) In reality, the three-month period associated with the coldest average temperatures typically begins somewhere in late November or early December in the Northern Hemisphere. If "winter" is defined as the statistically coldest quarter of the year, then the astronomical definition is too late by almost all local climate standards, and the traditional English/Irish definition of November 1 (May 1 in the Southern Hemisphere) is almost always too early to fit this standard. No matter the reckoning, winter is the only season that spans two calendar years in the northern hemisphere. (In other words, there are very few temperate climates in which the vernal equinox is on average colder than the winter solstice, and very few temperate climates in which Samhain is colder than Imbolc ). Causes The popular belief that winter is caused by the Earth being farther from the Sun than in summer is not true. In fact, in the Northern Hemisphere, winter occurs when the Earth is at its closest to the Sun. Winter in the Southern Hemisphere does occur when the Earth is farthest from the Sun, however the greater distance from the Sun at this time is relatively small compared to the distance from the Sun as a whole and the variation in distance from the Sun has no noticeable effect on the seasons in either hemisphere. The tilt of the earth's axis relative to its orbital plane has a dramatic effect on the weather. 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. Conversely, winter in the Southern Hemisphere occurs when the Northern hemisphere is tilted more toward the Sun. From the perspective of an observer on the Earth, the winter Sun has a lower maximum altitude in the sky than the summer Sun. During winter in either hemisphere, the lower altitude of the Sun in winter causes the sunlight to hit 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 dissipate more of this already limited heat. Exceptional cases
ECOLOGY is one animal that changes color in winter.]] To survive the harshness of winter, many animals have developed different behavioral and morphological adaptations:
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 go dormant, but their roots are still protected by the snow layer. Few plants bloom in the winter, though exceptions include the Flowering Plum (which flowers in time for Chinese New Year ). ACTIVITIES See Also: Winter sport Snow activities Many winter activities involve the use of Snow in some form (which sometimes may still be manmade, via Snow Cannon ]s):
Ice activities , an early form of ice hockey.]] Many other winter activities and sports focus on Ice , which however need not necessarily be natural (see Ice Rink ).
PSYCHOLOGY n national character.]] Passing seasons change the habits and moods of people. During the winter months in the northern hemisphere, a gloominess nicknamed "winter blues", "February blahs", "Holiday depression", or doldrums, 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 the angle of the sun and the increased amount of clothing that must be worn to keep warm. SYMBOLISM 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 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 concerto 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. The film Requiem For A Dream concludes with Act III: Winter, in which the movie reaches its hellish and chilling climax. MYTHOLOGY In various cultures 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. In Welsh Mythology , Gwyn Ap Nudd abducted a maiden named Creiddylad . On May Day her lover Gwythr Ap Greidawl fought Gwyn to win her back. The battle between them represented the contest between summer and winter. Personifications Gallery REFERENCES
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