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Home Regent Questions June 2008 exam Climate New York State Earth Science June 2008 - Question 27
New York State Earth Science June 2008 - Question 27 PDF Print E-mail
Monday, 03 August 2009 09:58
esjun08q (27)

Correct Answer: Option 1 – A is result of humid climate, while B is the result of dry climate

Weather refers to the atmospheric conditions at a certain time or over a certain short period in a given area. It is described by a number of meteorological phenomena that include atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, sunshine, cloudiness, and precipitation. In contrast, climate refers to long-term, cyclic or seasonal patterns of temperature, precipitation, winds, etc.

Climates are often defined in terms of area, latitude, altitude, or other geophysical features. Although there are thousands of microclimate variations, climates can essentially be broken down into four basic types. Hot, moist climates feature high rainfall with often intense and rapid chemical weathering. Cold, moist climates still feature chemical weathering but because of the lower temperature, the rates are dramatically reduced from those encountered in hot, moist climates. Cold, dry climates feature the least weathering but mechanical weathering (e.g., ice wedging) does produce slow landscape evolution. Hot, dry climates often have intense mechanical weathering pressures (e.g., wind, sand-blasting, etc).

Weather is one of the fundamental processes that shape the Earth. The process of weathering breaks down rocks and soils into smaller fragments and then into their constituent substances. These are then free to take part in chemical reactions that can affect the surface further (such as acid rain) or are reformed into other rocks and soils. In this way, weather plays a major role in erosion of the surface. The impact of weather is most pronounced during the occurrence of extreme weather situations, such as prolonged periods of heat, cold, rain, drought, and smog conditions. In addition, shorter but intense events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, winter blizzards, freezing rain, and floods also produce often-dramatic effects on both the social and geologic landscape

Last Updated on Monday, 03 August 2009 10:35
 

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