(107) Climatology Fundamentals Exam Questions And
Correct Answers
Climatology - Answer is the study of climate and how it changes over time. This science
helps people better understand atmospheric conditions causing changes in weather
patterns over time.
• The importance of climatology may have a deep impact on operations from around the
globe. Unlike weather forecasts, climatological probabilities are not confined to a
specified future period. For this
reason, climatology is especially applicable to planning military operations, determining
the optimum
course of action when weather is a factor, and solving problems of environmental
effects in design,
engineering, training, operational procedure, and location.
Temperature: - Answer Temperature is undoubtedly the most important climatic
element.
• The temperature of an area is dependent upon:
• Latitude or the distribution of incoming and outgoing radiation.
• The nature of the surface that it is over whether land or water.
• The altitude.
• Prevailing winds.
• Moisture, or the lack of moisture, modifies temperature:
• The more moisture in a region the smaller the temperature range.
• The drier the region, the greater the temperature range.
• Warmer air can hold more moisture than cool air, so increased evaporation results in a
higher probability of clouds and precipitation.
• Water, along with condensation and evaporation, is a very important climatic factor. It
finally determines the type of climate that a particular region will experience.
, Precipitation: - Answer The most important climatic factor after temperature.
• Defined as water that reaches Earth's surface by falling in either a liquid or a solid
state:
• Rain and snow are the most important forms.
• Precipitation has a large variability over the surface. Due to such variability, in general,
a longer series of observations is required to establish a mean or an average. • Since
precipitation amounts are directly associated with amount and type of clouds, cloud
cover should also be considered along with the precipitation. Cloud climatology also
encompasses such features as fog and thunderstorms.
Wind: -Answer The third most important climatic element.
Wind is the climatic element that transports heat and moisture into a region.
• Climatologist are mostly interested in wind with regard to its direction, speed, and
gustiness.
• Some climatological studies use resultant wind, which is the vectorial average of all
wind
directions and speeds for a given level, at a specific place, and for a given period.
Thornthwaite - Explanation Thornthwaite developed his climate classification scheme by
classifying climates into groups based on the vegetation characteristics present within
them.
Köppen: - Explanation Presenting indigenous vegetation as a natural indicator of
regional climate, which searches for patterns in the annual and monthly mean averages
of temperature and precipitation that as a result closely correspond to the limits of
vegetative communities. Patterns revealed broad‐scale climatic boundaries through
out the world. Records of annual and mean
monthly temperature and precipitation are
sufficiently long and reliable in many parts of the
world and serve as a good first approximation of
climate.
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