Climate

Weather is what you experience day-to-day, while climate is the average of

those experiences over a longer time frame.
"Every action counts—what we do today shapes the world of tomorrow."
Introduction à la climatologie :
1. Définition du climat
Historique de la climatologie
Concepts de base en climatologie
2. Les composants du système climatique
Les échelles climatiques (Atmosphère, hydrosphère, …)
Interactions entre les différents composants
Les processus atmosphériques
3. Rayonnement solaire et terrestre
Circulation atmosphérique générale
Phénomènes météorologiques et climatiques (tempêtes, fronts, etc.)
5. Changements climatiques
Effet de serre, pollution atmosphérique
Chiffres sur les changements climatiques passés et actuels
Modèles climatiques et projections futures
Impacts des changements climatiques
6. Méthodes d'analyse des données climatiques
Collecte de données (stations météorologiques, satellites, etc.)
Analyse statistique des séries temporelles climatiques
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area,
typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the
mean and variability of meteorological variables over a
time spanning from months to millions of years

Climate
Weather: the state of the atmosphere at a particular
place and time as regards heat, cloudiness, dryness,
sunshine, wind, rain, etc.
"if the weather's good we can go for a walk
Weather & Climate (météo et Climat)
Definitions
Climate vs. Weather
Weather
• The actual state of the atmosphere in a period of several hours up to a few
days (in a given place) (Gramelsberger & Feichter, 2011).
Climate
• A statistical description in terms of the mean and variability of relevant
quantities over a period ranging from months to thousands or millions of
years (IPCC).
• The classical period is 30 years, which are most often surface variables such
as temperature, precipitation, and wind. Climate in a wider sense is the
state, including a statistical description, of the climate system (World
Meteorological Organization (WMO)).
Weather Characteristics:
1.Short-Term: Weather conditions change rapidly and can fluctuate within hours or days.
2.Local Focus: Weather is specific to a particular location and time (e.g., a thunderstorm in a city).
3.Variable Elements: Includes temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind speed and direction, cloud cover, and
atmospheric pressure.
4.Immediate Effects: Directly affects daily activities, such as dress, travel, and outdoor plans.
5.Forecasting: Weather forecasts provide short-term predictions, typically up to a week ahead.

Climate Characteristics:
1.Long-Term Average: Climate is the average of weather conditions over a significant period, usually 30 years or more.
2.Regional Scope: Refers to broader areas, such as global, continental, or regional climates (e.g., Mediterranean, polar,
tropical).
3.Patterns and Trends: Includes seasonal variations, long-term trends (e.g., warming or cooling), and typical weather
patterns for an area.
4.Influences on Ecosystems: Climate influences the types of vegetation, animal species, and agricultural practices in
a region.
5.Climatic Zones: Areas are classified into different climate zones based on long-term weather patterns (e.g., humid,
arid, temperate).
In summary, while weather refers to immediate atmospheric conditions, climate encompasses long-term trends and
averages, affecting broader environmental and ecological contexts.
 Climate, weather and extreme event
Climate and extreme events are closely related concepts, as changes in climate can influence the frequency
and intensity of extreme weather events. Here’s a brief overview:
- Definition of Extreme Events: Extreme weather events include phenomena like hurricanes, floods, heatwaves,
droughts, and heavy snowfall. These events can cause significant damage to ecosystems, infrastructure, and
human life.
- Climate Change Impact: As the climate warms, the atmosphere can hold more moisture, leading to heavier
rainfall and increased flooding. Warmer temperatures can also exacerbate heatwaves and lead to more intense
hurricanes due to higher sea surface temperatures.
- Historical Trends: Many regions are experiencing an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme events as a
result of climate change. For example, heatwaves have become more common and severe, while certain areas face
more prolonged droughts.
- Predictability: While climate models can help predict the likelihood of extreme events based on changing climate
conditions, predicting the exact timing and location of specific extreme events remains challenging.
- Adaptation and Mitigation: Understanding the relationship between climate and extreme events is crucial for
developing strategies to mitigate impacts, such as improving infrastructure resilience, implementing better
land-use planning, and enhancing emergency response systems.

In summary, climate change can significantly influence extreme events, making it important to study their
relationship to better prepare for and respond to these challenges
Studying climate is vital for several reasons:

1.Understanding Ecosystems: Climate influences habitats and biodiversity. Knowing how climate
affects ecosystems helps us protect them.
2.Predicting Weather Patterns: Climate studies improve our ability to forecast weather events,
which is essential for disaster preparedness.
3.Assessing Climate Change Impacts: By studying climate, we can evaluate the effects of
climate change on sea levels, agriculture, and water resources.
4.Informing Policy and Mitigation Strategies: Research provides the evidence needed for
effective climate policies and sustainable practices.
5.Adapting to Changes: Understanding climate trends helps communities and industries adapt to
changes, reducing vulnerability and enhancing resilience.
6.Enhancing Public Awareness: Climate studies raise awareness about environmental issues,
encouraging more sustainable behaviors.
Overall, studying climate is crucial for protecting our planet and ensuring a sustainable
future.
Studying climate in green building engineering is
crucial for several reasons:
1.Energy Efficiency: Understanding local climate helps design buildings that optimize energy use for heating,
cooling, and lighting, reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
2.Sustainable Materials: Climate knowledge informs the selection of materials that are appropriate for the
environment, enhancing durability and minimizing environmental impact.
3.Water Management: Climate studies help in designing effective water management systems, including
rainwater harvesting and drought-resistant landscaping.
4.Indoor Comfort: Climate considerations are essential for creating comfortable indoor environments through
proper ventilation, insulation, and natural lighting.
5.Resilience to Climate Change: Designing buildings that can withstand extreme weather events and changing
climate conditions enhances safety and longevity.
6.Regulatory Compliance: Many regions have building codes and standards that take climate factors into
account, making climate study essential for compliance.
7.Life Cycle Assessment: Understanding climate impacts helps in assessing the overall sustainability of
building projects, from construction through to demolition.
Incorporating climate knowledge into green building engineering ultimately leads to more sustainable,
resilient, and comfortable living spaces.
Why to study climate?

- Affects people and society

- Helps to determine the quantity and quality of water
available for human use.
- Determines the severity of droughts, storms, and floods.
- Largely determines the nature and locations of biomes -
major terrestrial ecosystems, defined based on their plant
communities.
- A biome is a large community of vegetation and
wildlife adapted to a specific climate
Biomes of the World Depend on Climate

- A biome is a large community of vegetation and

wildlife adapted to a specific climate 11
 Five main types of climates
Today, climate scientists split the Earth into approximately five main types of
climates. They are:
A: Tropical. In this hot and humid zone, the average temperatures are greater than
64°F (18°C) year-round and there is more than 59 inches of precipitation each year.
B: Dry. These climate zones are so dry because moisture is rapidly evaporated from
the air and there is very little precipitation.
C: Temperate. In this zone, there are typically warm and humid summers with
thunderstorms and mild winters.
D. Continental. These regions have warm to cool summers and very cold winters.
In the winter, this zone can experience snowstorms, strong winds, and very cold
temperatures—sometimes falling below -22°F (-30°C)!
E: Polar. In the polar climate zones, it’s extremely cold. Even in summer, the
temperatures here never go higher than 50°F (10°C)!
This is roughly where those climate zones appear on a globe:
What does a map of climate zones really look like?
There are several different types of climate, often classified using the Köppen climate classification system. Here are the
main climate types:
1.Tropical Climates:
1. Tropical Rainforest (Af): High temperatures and heavy rainfall year-round.
2. Tropical Monsoon (Am): Similar to rainforest but with a distinct wet and dry season.
3. Tropical Savanna (Aw): Warm temperatures with a wet season and a prolonged dry season.
2.Dry Climates:
1. Desert (BWh/BWk): Very low precipitation; can be hot (BWh) or cold (BWk).
2. Steppe (BSh/BSk): Semi-arid regions that receive more rainfall than deserts, supporting grasslands.
3.Temperate Climates:
1. Mediterranean (Csa/Csb): Warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters.
2. Humid Subtropical (Cfa/Cwa): Hot, humid summers and mild winters with ample rainfall.
3. Marine West Coast (Cfb/Cfc): Mild temperatures and moderate rainfall throughout the year, often with oceanic
influences.
4.Continental Climates:
1. Humid Continental (Dfa/Dfb/Dwa/Dwb): Distinct seasons with warm to hot summers and cold winters.
2. Subarctic (Dfc/Dfd): Short, cool summers and long, harsh winters.
5.Polar Climates:
1. Tundra (ET): Cold temperatures with a short growing season; vegetation primarily consists of mosses and lichens.
2. Ice Cap (EF): Extremely cold conditions with permanent ice and very little vegetation.
6.Highland Climates:
1. Found in mountainous regions, where climate varies with altitude, often exhibiting characteristics of both
temperate and polar climates.
These classifications help understand regional climates and their implications for ecosystems, agriculture, and
human activity. (PPLAME)
Characteristics of Weather and Climate
• Temperature
• Wind
• Clouds
• Precipitation
• Humidity
• Storms (cyclones!)
 The climate is Always Changing, Always has Changed
1,000,000 year time scales
Plate tectonics
100,000 year time scales
Orbital variations and glacial periods
100-10 year time scales
Events like the Little Ice Age and
Medieval Warm Period
10-5 year time scales
El Niño – La Niña cycles
Other short-term cycles due to ocean
circulation
1,000,000 year Time Scales
500 mya 400 mya

300 200
mya mya

Ice sheets can only grow when continents are at the poles.
The climate system
The climate system encompasses the interactions between the atmosphere, oceans, land surface, and
ice. It includes various components:
1.Atmosphere: The layer of gases surrounding the Earth, playing a crucial role in weather and climate.
2.Hydrosphere: All the water on Earth, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and groundwater, which influences
temperature and weather patterns.
3.Cryosphere: The frozen water part of the Earth, including glaciers and ice caps, which affects sea levels and
climate feedback loops.
4.Lithosphere: The Earth's solid surface, including soil and rocks, which influences climate through factors
like vegetation and land use.
5.Biosphere: All living organisms, which can affect and be affected by climate through processes like
photosynthesis and respiration.

These components interact in complex ways, driven by energy from the sun, and are influenced by
factors like greenhouse gases, ocean currents, and land use changes. Understanding this system is
crucial for predicting climate change and its impacts
Earth System (Interaction)
Atmosphere (all air) Air Ice

Hydrosphere (all water)

Biosphere (all living

things) Water Land

Geosphere (solid portion

of the earth) Life

Cryosphere (frozen water

part of the earth)
Characteristics of Climate
Climate is affected by a combination of factors from three different
systems:

• Solar System
• Earth System
• Earth’s Dynamics (how planet earth is changing at a
macro scale)
Solar System
The earth’s solar system (our sun and
the associated planets, etc.) have an
impact on the Earth’s System
composed of five components:
Atmosphere (all air)
Hydrosphere (all water)
Biosphere (all living things)
Geosphere (solid portion of the earth)
Cryosphere (frozen water part of the
earth)
Earth System (Interaction) is Climate System
Atmosphere (all air) Air Ice

Hydrosphere (all water)

Biosphere (all living

things) Water Land

Geosphere (solid portion

of the earth) Life

Cryosphere (frozen water

part of the earth)
 The climate system encompasses the interactions between
Climate System the atmosphere, oceans, land surface, and ice. It includes
various components
The solar system impacts Earth's climate system in several key ways:
1. Solar Radiation:
•Energy Source: The Sun is the primary source of energy for Earth's climate. Variations in solar output can influence global
temperatures and weather patterns.
2. Earth's Orbit:
•Milankovitch Cycles: Changes in Earth's orbit (eccentricity, axial tilt, and precession) affect the distribution and intensity of
sunlight received at different latitudes over thousands of years, leading to cycles of glacial and interglacial periods.
3. Solar Cycles:
•Sunspot Activity: The 11-year solar cycle affects the number of sunspots, which can influence solar radiation output and,
consequently, climate patterns.
4. Cosmic Rays:
•Cloud Formation: Some theories suggest that variations in cosmic ray intensity, influenced by solar activity and the solar wind,
may affect cloud formation, impacting climate.
5. Planetary Alignment:
•Gravitational Effects: The gravitational pull from other planets can influence Earth’s axial tilt and orbit over long time scales,
contributing to climate variations.
6. Volcanic Activity:
•While not directly a solar system factor, interactions with solar radiation can amplify the cooling effects of volcanic erupt ions by
releasing ash and gases that block sunlight.
7. Interactions with Other Celestial Bodies:
•Events such as asteroid impacts or the gravitational influences of large planets can lead to long-term changes in Earth's climate
by altering its orbit or causing significant environmental changes.
In summary, while the Sun is the most direct influence on Earth's climate, various factors within the solar system, including
orbital changes and cosmic events, play a crucial role in shaping long-term climate patterns.
Cycle Duration: The solar cycle lasts about 11 years on average, characterized
by the increase and decrease in the number of sunspots, which are cooler areas
on the Sun’s surface associated with solar activity
Solar radiation variability can be caused by several factors:
1.Solar Cycles: The sun undergoes an approximately 11-year cycle of solar activity, known as the solar cycle,
which includes periods of solar maximum (more sunspots and solar flares) and solar minimum (fewer sunspots).
This affects the amount of solar energy reaching Earth.
2.Changes in Solar Output: The sun's total energy output can fluctuate due to changes in its internal dynamics,
magnetic fields, and the processes occurring in its outer layers. These variations can influence the overall climate.
3.Sun-Earth Distance: The Earth's orbit is not a perfect circle; it is slightly elliptical, leading to variations in the
distance from the sun throughout the year. This can cause seasonal changes in solar radiation received by Earth.
4.Solar Flares and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs): Sudden bursts of energy from the sun can temporarily
increase solar radiation levels, affecting space weather and potentially impacting Earth's atmosphere.
5.Long-Term Changes: Over much longer timescales (thousands to millions of years), factors like the
Milankovitch cycles (variations in Earth's orbit and tilt) can influence how solar radiation is distributed across the
planet.
These factors contribute to the overall variability in solar radiation that can affect Earth's climate over different
timescales.
Video: How Does the Climate System Work?

Global Climate System Video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrPS2HiYVp8
Video: Atmospheric Circulation

https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=Ye45DGkqUkE

Atmospheric Circulation
Class Exercise

List two important things you have learned from this Video:
Sun is distributed unevenly, hot air move to pols (air cir) (water circ)
1

2
 A. definition

B. Facts & Evidences

C. Risks & scenarios

Climate
Change D. Indicators

E. Impacts

F. How Does this Affect Temperature?

G. GHG are partly masked by aerosol cooling

 A. What is Climate
IPCC, 3rd Assessment Report:
Change?
Climate change: a statistically significant variation in either the mean state of the climate or in its
variability, persisting for an extended period (typically decades or longer).
Climate change may be due to natural internal processes or external forcings, or to persistent
anthropogenic changes in the composition of the atmosphere or in land use .
UNFCCC, Article 1:
“climate change”: “a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that
alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability
observed over comparable time periods.”
Refers to all the variations in climatic characteristics in a given place, over
time: heating (global warming) or cooling.
B. Facts & evidences about
climate change
Air circulation in the atmosphere, driven by the sun's energy, plays a crucial role in weather patterns and precipitation. Here’s how it
works and how it affects rain:
1. Convection:
•Heating: The sun warms the Earth’s surface, causing air to warm up. Warm air is lighter and rises.
•Cooling: As the warm air rises, it cools, leading to condensation and cloud formation. This process can result in precipitation when
the clouds become heavy enough.
2. Global Wind Patterns:
•Hadley Cells: Near the equator, warm air rises and moves toward the poles, cooling and sinking around 30° latitude. This creates
areas of high pressure and dry conditions, like deserts.
•Ferrel and Polar Cells: Between the Hadley and polar cells, these circulation patterns help redistribute heat and moisture,
influencing weather systems and rainfall in various regions.
3. Jet Streams:
•These are fast-flowing air currents in the upper atmosphere that influence weather patterns and can steer storm systems, affecting
where and how much it rains.
4. Orographic Lift:
•When moist air encounters mountains, it is forced to rise, cool, and condense, leading to increased precipitation on the wind ward
side and drier conditions on the leeward side (rain shadow effect).
5. Ocean Currents:
•Warm ocean currents can lead to increased evaporation, contributing to humidity and rainfall in nearby land areas.
Effects on Rainfall:
•Precipitation Distribution: Areas near the equator and along coasts generally receive more rainfall due to rising warm, moist air.
•Seasonal Variations: Changes in circulation patterns can lead to seasonal rainfall, such as monsoons.
•Extreme Weather: Shifts in air circulation can cause extreme weather events, leading to heavy rainfall or drought.
Overall, the complex interplay of air circulation patterns significantly influences where and how much rain falls around the world.