Introduction to Climate and Its Change
fact box
In the 15th Century, temperatures in Greenland dropped by 2ºC through natural climate variation. Viking communities that settled in Greenland saw their livestock die and they couldn't go fishing due to the increase in sea ice.
The climate – and how it is changing – is in the headlines a lot these days. But it is also regularly confused as just being the weather.
Weather is something that is unpredictable, is happening here and now and changes rapidly.
Climate, on the other hand, is a combination of elements such as temperature, air pressure, moisture, wind, cloudiness, rainfall and sunshine. It is a complicated system that is created by complex interactions between the sun, our atmosphere, oceans, land and living things. Climate can be predicted by scientists.
Climate varies over decades and is measured over at least 30 years.
It is the increasingly rapid changes in the climate, especially temperature, which has been noted and is causing concern.