When we talk about climate, we cannot fail to bear in mind all the factors that determine it, since the climate is the set of atmospheric conditions that characterize a geographical area. This set of atmospheric conditions is called climate controllers. And is that its variables are what make there is one climate or another in certain around the world.
In this article we are going to analyze all the meteorological variables known as climate controllers and describe them one by one. Do you want to know what are the factors that condition the climate? Read on to find out 🙂
Climate, a complex system
To understand everything related to climate controllers, it is necessary to start from the base that the climate is not something easy to understand. It is a complex system and very difficult to predict. Although the weather people tell you "easily" that tomorrow it will rain and in which areas specifically, that takes a great study behind it.
You have to analyze a lot of meteorological variables like temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind, pressure, etc. Do not confuse meteorology with climatology. Meteorology is the weather that is going to be at a certain moment. Climate is the average of all the variables that make up a system and which, therefore, is what determines the specific geographical area.
To know the climate of an area, it is necessary to study natural factors such as altitude, latitude, orientation of the relief, marine currents, distance from the sea, direction of the winds, duration of the seasons of the year or continentality. All these factors intervene in the characteristics of one climate or another.
For example, latitude is what determines the inclination with which the sun's rays strike a territory. They also determine the hours of the day and night. This is decisive to know the amount of solar radiation that will be had throughout the day and, therefore, the temperatures. In addition, it also affects the location of cyclones and anticyclones.
Meteorological variables
Meteorological variables have their function when it comes to knowing the climate of an area. After all, the climate is the result of the action of these variables over time. You cannot know the climate of an area just by measuring the variables for a few months or years. Climate can be determined after a number of studies spanning decades.
However, the climate of a region is not always stable. With the passage of time and, above all, by the action of the human being (see The greenhouse effect) the climate in many regions is changing.
And it is that variables such as those mentioned above also change on a small scale and little by little over time. For example, the altitude and the orientation of the relief are two important variables to take into account when describing a climate. This is because a city established in a shady area is not the same as sunny. Nor is it the same if the city is located in an area where the wind blows in a windward or leeward direction.
The seasons of the year also play a fundamental role. In each territory the seasons of the year are different. Autumn can be drier in one area of the planet than another. Many of the characteristics of a climate have to do with marine currents or the proximity of the territory to the sea.
Coastal zone vs inland zone
Let's think of a coastal city vs. an inland city. In the first, the temperatures will not be so extreme, since the sea acts as a thermal regulator and will soften the temperature contrasts. You also have to watch the humidity. This will be less in inland areas where there is no coast. For this reason, the coastal climate will be characterized (roughly) by mild temperatures all year round and high humidity. On the other hand, the indoor climate will have extreme temperatures, hot in summer and cold in winter, and with a low humidity content.
The fact that the sea acts as a thermal regulator means that there is a specific heat difference between water and land. This creates a temperature difference that causes sea breezes. In addition, the coastal area has more capacity to generate water vapor and precipitation.
Climate controllers and their description
Although it is not created, the relief is one of the climate controllers that conditions a geographical area. It is the type of relief that hinders the entry of air masses and modifies their temperature and humidity. When they collide with the mountain ranges, they rise and, when cooling, discharge in the form of precipitation.
General atmospheric circulation has to do with the climate of a place. Depending on the differences in temperature and pressure, we can find areas of high pressure and low pressure. When there are high pressure areas the weather is generally stable and when it is low pressure there is usually rain.
Another of the climate controllers is cloudiness. If the amount of existing clouds is generally larger, it allows less solar radiation to enter and the temperatures to alter. The cloudiness of an area is measured as a percentage of days covered per year. The observatories of our peninsula indicate that the area with the most clear days a year is Andalusia. Although cloud cover reduces insolation, by blocking solar radiation, it also makes it difficult to cool the surface.
Fog can also be one of the climate controllers, although more recurrent. It is a fairly frequent phenomenon in high mountain areas, valleys and river basins. If there is enough moisture in the air, it condenses into fog. It occurs especially in the mornings.
As you can see, climate controllers can be more or less conditioning when it comes to characterizing it, but they all contribute the necessary grain of sand.