ABSTRACT

We often describe the climate for a given location as the net effect of a number of easily measurable characteristics such as maximum and minimum temperature, wind speed and direction, precipitation patterns, cloud type and amount, and solar radiation. These parameters have profound effects on humans, animals, and vegetation. The climate is also influenced by less obvious factors such as large-scale ocean currents, the vertical structure of the atmosphere, vegetation, soil moisture, and the albedo at the surface of the Earth. The atmosphere is influenced by the oceans, biosphere, cryosphere (glaciers, polar ice, etc.), and, to a lesser extent, by the geosphere. The climate system is extremely complex and is influenced by many factors and interactions.