lowest part of the atmosphere from the surface to about 10 km in altitude in
midlatitudes (ranging from 9 km in high latitudes to 16 km in the tropics on
average) where clouds and “weather” phenomena occur. In the troposphere
temperatures generally decrease with height. All weather processes take place
in the troposphere. Ozone that is formed in the troposphere plays a significant
role in both the greenhouse gas effect and urban smog. The troposphere
contains about 95 percent of the mass of air in the earth’s atmosphere.
Weather
Weather is the specific condition of the atmosphere at a particular place and
time. It is measured in terms of such things as wind, temperature, humidity,
atmospheric pressure, cloudiness, and precipitation. In most places, weather
can change from hour to hour, day to day, and season to season. Climate in a
narrow sense is usually defined as the “average weather,” or more rigorously,
as the statistical description in terms of the mean and variability of relevant
quantities over a period of time ranging from months to thousands or millions
of years. The classical period is 30 years, as defined by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). These quantities 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. A simple
way of remembering the difference is that climate is what you expect (e.g.,
cold winters) and “weather” is what you get (e.g., a blizzard).
References
1. Nodvin SC. Global warming. Encyclopedia of Earth. 9 May 2010: n. pag. Web. 13 Jan 2014.
http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/153038
2. Robert M. Climate change overview. Engineering for Professionals. Johns Hopkins University.
2010. Lecture. 13 Jan 2014. http://media.ep.jhu.edu/EPmedia/play/?file¼epmedia/courses/
online/575_720/Module12/Module12Part1.mp4
3. “Carbon Dioxide Emissions.” EPA. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 9 Sep
2013. Web. 13 Jan 2014. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html
4. IPCC (2013) Summary for Policymakers. In: Stocker TF, Qin D, Plattner G-K, Tignor M, Allen
SK, Boschung J, Nauels A, Xia Y, Bex V, Midgley PM (eds) Climate change 2013: the physical
science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; New York
5. NASA. Evidence – climate change: how do we know? Global climate change. National
Aeronautics and Space Administration. N.d. Web. 13 Jan 2014. http://climate.nasa.gov/
evidence
6. Menzel WP. Absorption, emission, reflection, and scattering. Remote Sensing Applications
with Meteorological Satellites. Madison: University of Wisconsin, 2005. Web http://www.ssec.
wisc.edu/library/coursefiles/03_abs_emiss_ref.pdf
7. Shapley P. Greenhouse gasses. Chemistry 102. University of Illinois. 12 Oct 2011. Lecture.
13 Jan 2014. http://butane.chem.uiuc.edu/pshapley/GenChem1/L15/web-L15.pdf
8. Simeonova K, et al. Greenhouse gas inventory-related requirements. Kyoto Protocol Reference
Manual on accounting of emissions and assigned amount. Bonn: United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change. 2008. p.50. Web. 13 Jan 2014. http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/
publications/08_unfccc_kp_ref_manual.pdf
9. IPCC. Direct global warming potentials. IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change
2007: Working Group I: The Physical Science Basis. United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change, n.d. Web. 13 Jan 2014. http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/
wg1/en/ch2s2-10-2.html
34
L. K. Wang et al.
midlatitudes (ranging from 9 km in high latitudes to 16 km in the tropics on
average) where clouds and “weather” phenomena occur. In the troposphere
temperatures generally decrease with height. All weather processes take place
in the troposphere. Ozone that is formed in the troposphere plays a significant
role in both the greenhouse gas effect and urban smog. The troposphere
contains about 95 percent of the mass of air in the earth’s atmosphere.
Weather
Weather is the specific condition of the atmosphere at a particular place and
time. It is measured in terms of such things as wind, temperature, humidity,
atmospheric pressure, cloudiness, and precipitation. In most places, weather
can change from hour to hour, day to day, and season to season. Climate in a
narrow sense is usually defined as the “average weather,” or more rigorously,
as the statistical description in terms of the mean and variability of relevant
quantities over a period of time ranging from months to thousands or millions
of years. The classical period is 30 years, as defined by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). These quantities 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. A simple
way of remembering the difference is that climate is what you expect (e.g.,
cold winters) and “weather” is what you get (e.g., a blizzard).
References
1. Nodvin SC. Global warming. Encyclopedia of Earth. 9 May 2010: n. pag. Web. 13 Jan 2014.
http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/153038
2. Robert M. Climate change overview. Engineering for Professionals. Johns Hopkins University.
2010. Lecture. 13 Jan 2014. http://media.ep.jhu.edu/EPmedia/play/?file¼epmedia/courses/
online/575_720/Module12/Module12Part1.mp4
3. “Carbon Dioxide Emissions.” EPA. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 9 Sep
2013. Web. 13 Jan 2014. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html
4. IPCC (2013) Summary for Policymakers. In: Stocker TF, Qin D, Plattner G-K, Tignor M, Allen
SK, Boschung J, Nauels A, Xia Y, Bex V, Midgley PM (eds) Climate change 2013: the physical
science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK; New York
5. NASA. Evidence – climate change: how do we know? Global climate change. National
Aeronautics and Space Administration. N.d. Web. 13 Jan 2014. http://climate.nasa.gov/
evidence
6. Menzel WP. Absorption, emission, reflection, and scattering. Remote Sensing Applications
with Meteorological Satellites. Madison: University of Wisconsin, 2005. Web http://www.ssec.
wisc.edu/library/coursefiles/03_abs_emiss_ref.pdf
7. Shapley P. Greenhouse gasses. Chemistry 102. University of Illinois. 12 Oct 2011. Lecture.
13 Jan 2014. http://butane.chem.uiuc.edu/pshapley/GenChem1/L15/web-L15.pdf
8. Simeonova K, et al. Greenhouse gas inventory-related requirements. Kyoto Protocol Reference
Manual on accounting of emissions and assigned amount. Bonn: United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change. 2008. p.50. Web. 13 Jan 2014. http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/
publications/08_unfccc_kp_ref_manual.pdf
9. IPCC. Direct global warming potentials. IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change
2007: Working Group I: The Physical Science Basis. United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change, n.d. Web. 13 Jan 2014. http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/
wg1/en/ch2s2-10-2.html
34
L. K. Wang et al.