Weather

Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or
stormy, clear or cloudy.[1] Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere,[2][3] just below the
stratosphere. Weather refers to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate
is the term for the statistics of atmospheric conditions over longer periods of time.[4] When used
without qualification, "weather" is generally understood to mean the weather of Earth.
Weather is driven by air pressure, temperature and moisture differences between one place and
another. These differences can occur due to the sun's angle at any particular spot, which varies by
latitude from the tropics. The strong temperature contrast between polar and tropical air gives
rise to the jet stream. Weather systems in the mid-latitudes, such as extratropical cyclones, are
caused by instabilities of the jet stream flow. Because the Earth's axis is tilted relative to its
orbital plane, sunlight is incident at different angles at different times of the year. On Earth's
surface, temperatures usually range 40 C (40 F to 100 F) annually. Over thousands of
years, changes in Earth's orbit can affect the amount and distribution of solar energy received by
the Earth, thus influencing long-term climate and global climate change.
Surface temperature differences in turn cause pressure differences. Higher altitudes are cooler
than lower altitudes due to differences in compressional heating. Weather forecasting is the
application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a future time and
a given location. The system is a chaotic system; so small changes to one part of the system can
grow to have large effects on the system as a whole. Human attempts to control the weather have
occurred throughout human history, and there is evidence that human activities such as
agriculture and industry have modified weather patterns.

Climate
Climate is the statistics of weather, usually over a 30-year interval.[1][2] It is measured by
assessing the patterns of variation in temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind,
precipitation, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological variables in a given region
over long periods of time. Climate differs from weather, in that weather only describes the shortterm conditions of these variables in a given region.

Altitude
Altitude or height (sometimes known as depth) is defined based on the context in which it is used
(aviation, geometry, geographical survey, sport, and many more). As a general definition, altitude
is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum
and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context. Although
the term altitude is commonly used to mean the height above sea level of a location, in
geography the term elevation is often preferred for this usage.

Latitude
A graticule on the Earth as a sphere or an ellipsoid. The lines from pole to pole are lines of
constant longitude, or meridians. The circles parallel to the equator are lines of constant
latitude, or parallels. The graticule shows the latitude and longitude of points on the
surface. In this example meridians are spaced at 6 intervals and parallels at 4 intervals.
In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the northsouth position of
a point on the Earth's surface. Latitude is an angle (defined below) which ranges from 0 at
the Equator to 90 (North or South) at the poles. Lines of constant latitude, or parallels,
run eastwest as circles parallel to the equator. Latitude is used together with longitude to
specify the precise location of features on the surface of the Earth.

Doldrums
The doldrums is a colloquial expression derived from historical maritime usage, which
refers to those parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean affected by the
Intertropical Convergence Zone, a low-pressure area around the equator where the
prevailing winds are calm. The doldrums are also noted for calm periods when the winds
disappear altogether, trapping sail-powered boats for periods of days or weeks. The term
appears to have arisen in the eighteenth century, when cross-equator sailing voyages
became more common. Since this zone is the meeting place of two trade winds, it is also
called intertropical convergence zone.

Trade winds
The westerlies (blue arrows) and trade winds (yellow and brown arrows)
The trade winds are the prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds found in the tropics, within the
lower portion of the Earth's atmosphere, in the lower section of the troposphere near the Earth's
equator. The trade winds blow predominantly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and
from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere, strengthening during the winter and when the
Arctic oscillation is in its warm phase. Trade winds have been used by captains of sailing ships to
cross the world's oceans for centuries, and enabled European empire expansion into the Americas
and trade routes to become established across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
In meteorology, the trade winds act as the steering flow for tropical storms that form over the
Atlantic, Pacific, and southern Indian Oceans and make landfall in North America, Southeast Asia,
and Madagascar and eastern Africa, respectively. Trade winds also transport African dust
westward across the Atlantic Ocean into the Caribbean Sea, as well as portions of southeastern
North America. Shallow cumulus clouds are seen within trade wind regimes, and are capped from
becoming taller by a trade wind inversion, which is caused by descending air aloft from within the
subtropical ridge. The weaker the trade winds become, the more rainfall can be expected in the
neighboring landmasses.

Horse latitudes
A diagram showing the relative positions of the Horse latitudes
Horse latitudes or subtropical highs are subtropicallatitudes between 30 and 38 degrees
both north and south where Earth's atmosphere is dominated by the subtropical high, an
area of high pressure, which suppresses precipitation and cloud formation, and has
variable winds mixed with calm winds.
The horse latitudes are associated with the subtropical anticyclone and the large-scale
descent of air from high-altitude currents moving toward the poles. After reaching the
earth's surface, this air spreads toward the equator as part of the prevailing trade winds or
toward the poles as part of the westerlies. The belt in the Northern Hemisphere is
sometimes called the "calms of Cancer" and that in the Southern Hemisphere the "calms
of Capricorn".
The consistently warm, dry, and sunny conditions of the horse latitudes are the main cause
for the existence of the world's major non-polar deserts, such as the Sahara Desert in
Africa, the Arabian and Syrian deserts in the Middle East, the Mojave and Sonoran deserts
in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, all in the Northern Hemisphere;
and the Atacama Desert, the Kalahari Desert, and the Australian Desert in the Southern
Hemisphere.