Interactive Earth: Climates

The study of numerous parameters such as temperature, precipitation, wind, pressure, sunlight over a long period of time (ex: 30 years) makes it possible to distinguish and classify the different climates of different regions of the Earth. The climate of a region should not be confused with the meteorology of this region since the latter studies only the very short-term evolution of these parameters (a few days).

The causes responsible for the great disparity of climates are numerous and complex. One of the main ones is the uneven sunlight of the Earth's regions according to their latitude and the fact that this sunshine changes during the year because of the inclination of the Earth (see eduMedia animations on the theme of the seasons). Moreover, the word "climate" comes from the Greek "Klima" which means "inclination".

This animation allows you to view all the climates of the Earth, as well as the seasonal nature of the vegetation and snow cover. 

This simulation is part of the Interactive Earth Project.

Credits: NOAA