How's the Weather?

If you have a friend across the world, or to the north/south of you, you are bound to be asking one key question: how’s the weather where you are? But, what many people don’t realize is that there is a reason as to why the weather is the way it is in a given place, and this is due to the impact that our sun has.

Earth and the Sun

The earth’s climate is one that is extremely dependent on the sun. As many of us know, the sun is tilted on an axis, meaning that different parts of the earth receive different amounts of light. Because the north pole and south pole have light hitting it at an angle, the amount of light reaching the area is less concentrated. Due to this lesser concentration of light at the poles, the weather tends to be colder. I mean, light does equal heat. We can even link this light exposure to hotter places. Now we all know that the equator holds some of the hottest nations and areas this is essentially because when the sunlight hits an area directly, the area is far hotter because there is a concentrated amount of heat and light. Thus we can see that in countries such as mexico, the weather and general climate is far warmer than, say, Greenland. Greenland receives far less heat, meaning that it is essentially colder. So ultimately, the tilt of our earth and the sunlight and heat we receive is the reason for the climates of certain nations.

How is our earth divided?

Our earth is divided into specific lines that determine the amount of heat that a given nation would receive. Namely, there are 3 main lines of latitude that help determine the climate of a given region. The latitudes are the tropic of cancer (23.5 N), the equator (o degrees), and the tropic of capricorn (23.5 S). Ultimately, it is due to these lines of latitude that each nation has a different climate as these lines represent the different amounts of heat and sunlight hitting a given area.

Understanding Climates

Currently, there are many climates that are present in our world: dry, wet, grassy, cold, you name it. However, in order to characterize these weather attributions, scientists studying weather had created a term known as biomes which are different climates around the world. 

• Tundras- They are very cold and very dry areas. Sometimes they are even called the “cold desert. In this biome you would not see many plants because plants need a lot of sunlight, water, and rich soil, which tundras lack. This is because of permafrost which is an area a few centimeters under the ground which remains frozen year-round. So the only plants that are actually able to live here are short rooted plants, such as lichens, grasses, small flowers, because after a few inches deep the ground is frozen solid and the roots are not able to penetrate. Thus, there is also a short growing season. Sadly, we humans have such an impact on these tundras because our global warming is melting permafrost, which thaws organic material which then decays and generates more CO2; human activities including car/truck transportation related to oil drilling crushes fragile plants and the tundra is slow to repair itself.

• Temperate Rainforest- There is a lot of rain and fog in the rain forests. Hence, the name, Rain - forest. Additionally, there are also cool temperatures in these forests as most of them are not that close to the equator. Because of the nutrients that are rich in the soil, this region is considered to have good soil. These rainforests are a rare biome –they actually require a rain shadow effect in order to get that much rain in a temperate area. The rain shadow effect, according to the national geographic is “is a patch of land that has been forced to become a desert because mountain ranges blocked all plant-growing, rainy weather.” Due to the abundance of natural nutrients in the soil, the plants that are grown here are larger and richer plants such as mosses, ferns, and large trees (redwoods, large conifers). Unfortunately, we humans have a negative impact on these forests because of our deforestation for wood products, farming, and urbanization.

• Temperate Grassland- In these grasslands there is not much rain, at least not enough for trees to grow. However, there are four distinct seasons. Additionally, this area has the absolute best soil because of the growth and death cycle of plants. This is because the death and decomposition of plants and animals help to replenish the soil back with its nutrients. Here’s something you probably didn’t know at all, temperate grasslands have grass!! Shocking! However, in addition to this there are flowers, and maybe a single shrub or tree here and there. Of course, we humans love to exploit our natural resources, and we did so in this biome as well. This is with extensive soil use in this biome due to its fertility to raise plants. While farming is not bad for the environment, it is the extensive irrigation that is necessary in this region due to the lack of adequate rainfall. 

• Tropical Rainforest- Now we all know about the amazon rainforest, its rich and dense trees and its wet climate. This rainforest is actually a biome called the tropical rainforest. In these forests, we see a lot of rain… shocker! Because of this abundance of rain, there is an abundance of trees as well. When looking at these forests, they are also usually at the equator, meaning that they have warmer temperatures with the high concentration of light and heat. Interestingly, there is just one season year round in these forests.Plants and trees rarely die in this biome, so nutrients are almost never replenished to the soil, and this lack of fertile soil is called “oxi soil” because there is no growth or death. However, these forests hold the greatest biodiversity because there are many diverse niches. Niches are the function that an organism serves to its ecosystem. Due to this diversity in functions, the diverse plants include but are definitely not limited to: tall trees, broad-leafed plants on the forest floor to grab sunlight, epiphytes (plants that grow on plants). However, in this biome the primary environmental ramification is that approximately ½ of all rainforest is gone due to the  fires that are set in the forest. These fires are set as a part of slash and burn agriculture. This agricultural system burns plants in order to help replenish the nutrients back to earth. However, slash and burn also makes the land infertile.

• Deserts- Deserts are the biomes we all have definitely heard about. There is very little rain and it is EXTREMELY hot during the day and very cold at night. However, because there is no rainfall, this biome also lacks many plants or animals. The organisms that do live there are organisms that are able to preserve water for long periods of time. These include  succulents (cacti) and some small spiky shrubs. The impact we humans have on this biome is the mass urbanization we are facing. Due to this, there are poor agricultural practices that increase the size of the desert with climate change. This means that this lack of water is increasing, especially in many African nations.

Ultimately, when asking your distant friends how the weather is, think about where they live and consider whether they are close or far from the equator. Because, when your friend says it's hot, that might mean that she has a more concentrated beam of sunlight. Additionally, you can also consider the part of the map she lives in as each biome has its own unique locations. So next time hopefully you would have a good guess of the weather even before asking: how’s the weather?