Question

Name: Mallachi

Period:
Weather V. Climate, Circa Aug. 2020
Weather and climate may seem to be the same entity but there are crucial
differences between the two that one must understand in order to understand
the effects that events have on either the weather or the climate. The weather
is what we can see when we look out the window. It might be a sunny day with
children playing soccer games outside or a rainy day when all you can see is a
sea of umbrellas. We might use the weather to predict whether or not we will
have a white Christmas. The climate, on the other hand, is measured over
periods of at least 30 years, while sometimes spanning centuries. Let's say we
are looking at an artic environment and this particular environment has had a
warmer winter, much warmer than the average for this artic region, and is
caused by melting ice caps. Would this change be classified as a change in
weather or climate? When might the classification change?
CLAIM

Answer 1

The change described in the given scenario, where an Arctic environment experiences a warmer winter due to melting ice caps, would be classified as a change in weather. This is because it refers to a short-term variation or anomaly in the typical conditions of the region.

However, if such warmer winters persist over an extended period of at least 30 years or more, it would indicate a shift in the long-term patterns of temperature and precipitation in the Arctic. In that case, it would be classified as a change in climate.

The classification may change when the observed warmer winters become a consistent and sustained pattern over the long term, meeting the criteria for climate change. Climate change refers to alterations in average weather patterns over an extended period, which can include changes in temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, and other factors.