Weather and Climate: Intro

Hello everybody!

On 7th July we had our very first Geography lesson in Term 3 (and what a great start!). It was about the weather and climate. So let’s start!
Basically, in Singapore, we have a tropical climate (which is, we experience mostly rainfall). While I was reflecting on the lesson, a question came to my mind- why does Singapore have a tropical climate? Is it because of where we are on this giant Earth? In http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Singapore, it says:
‘Owing to its geographical location and maritime exposure, its climate is characterized by uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity and abundant rainfall.’
So it is because of its location on Earth. Singapore is 1 degree north of the Equator. Tropical climate, which is also known as ‘equatorial climate’, is usually found at the Equator. Interesting, huh? That means that Malaysia also has a tropical climate too, right? A big, red tick for that one!
Moving on, the question comes- what is weather? Right-o. It is the atmospheric conditions at a specific place over a short period of time. Climate? Long term trends and generalisations of the weather over a loooooooooooong period of time (which is, 30-35 years. WOW!). Then Ms J left us with a question: are the 4 seasons considered weather or climate? I tried to answer that myself before going onto the internet to check it out. I weighed the options:

• If it is Weather...

A specific location over a short period of time. Yes, the weather does happen at a specific place (eg. Canada) but over a short period of time?Hmm. Winter usually lasts (according to Wikipedia) 200 days in Scandinavia and 61 days in New Zealand and South Africa. Which means that winter lasts, according to the information that I have found out, around 60 to 200 days, which is a very long time to us but compared to 30 years, it is very short.

• If it is Climate...

Long term trends and generalisations of the weather over a long period of time. Okay, you can say that 60 to 200 days is long, but 30-35 years? No way! 200 days is not even a year! So I think that the 4 seasons is the weather.

Do you agree with me? The bad news- I couldn't find the answer even after more than half an hour of research. So, I guess it is up to you to decide!

Next question: Can climate changes fluctuate in the same way weather conditions very daily? Well, according to the dictionary, 'fluctuate' means: to change continually; shift back and forth; vary irregularly. According to http://www.suite101.com/content/the-difference-between-weather-and-climate-a184014, 'The main difference between weather and climate is that weather may fluctuate on a daily or even hourly basis, but climate remains relatively constant over decades, centuries or longer.' So there is the answer to the question, and the answer is no. Simple, eh?

On elements of weather, the next question is asked, 'Why do people need oxygen tanks when they climb mountains?' In other words, why isn't enough oxygen on top of the mountain? Well, the answer lies in http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_do_mountain_climbers_need_oxygen_tanks_when_climbing_great_heights. Basically the answer is because there is less oxygen up there because there is less air pressure.

While studying the elements of weather (temperature), we learnt that Singapore is warmer than the north pole because of the shape of the Earth (because the part with Singapore in it 'sticks out'). Then a question popped into my mind- which country is the warmest? Some say it's Singapore, others Arabia, but I'll put my bets on Libya, where the hottest temperature on Earth was ever recorded(57.7 degrees Celsius). The answer? Africa (according to http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hottest-country-in-the-world.html), or more specifically, Ethopia. Why not Libya? Because the temperature there flutuates. Interesting, eh?

What is the best place to put a thermometer? We all know the answer, and the answer is in the 'Stevenson Screen'. However, did you know that we can put many more instruments excluding the thermometer? Here are some of them, according to Wikipedia:

1. A Hygrometer

A hygrometer is an instrument used for measuring the moisture content in the environmental air, or humidity.

2. A Barometer

A barometer is a scientific instrument used in meteorology to measure atmospheric pressure.

3. A Thermo-hygrograph

A Thermo-hygrograph is a chart recorder that measures and records both temperature and humidity.

Whew. It has been a long blog post, hasn't it? Hope it was informative!