The terms “weather” and “climate” both refer to atmospheric conditions—
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“Weather” and “climate” refer to atmospheric conditions at different time scales.
Earth’s spherical shape creates latitudinal variation in solar radiation absorption and thus differences in temperature and precipitation; the proportion of land to ocean is also important.
Earth’s rotation around its axis deflects air and water and creates prevailing winds and ocean currents.
The tilt of Earth’s axis and its orbit create seasons.
Climate is what you expect given past conditions; weather is what you get on any one day. For example, a warming climate will cause glaciers to melt over decades or centuries (see Figure 1.16), whereas a single large snowstorm is unlikely to thwart that retreat. In addition, the responses of organisms to weather are usually short-