Overview of Earth's Spheres
The Earth consists of four 'spheres' which pertain to the Earth's major reservoirs of matter and energy.
Definition of Weather Definition of Climate
Weather refers to atmospheric conditions, including temperature, precipitation, clouds, and winds in a local area, on time scales of hours to weeks.
The weather can change quickly – it can change several times in a day! It can also vary between locations that are close together, such as one side or the other of a mountain, or on the leading or trailing edge of a cold or warm front.
Definition of Climate
Climate also refers to atmospheric conditions, but averaged over a much longer time period than weather, on time scales of decades to millions of years averaged over a region.
Climate usually takes a very long time to change. Major changes typically take thousands of years. Now, scientists are discovering that it is changing quicker than we thought, with measurable alterations in decades. If it changes too quickly, it can be difficult for our planet.