Q1. Define Climatology. Discuss the different phases of the development of climatology.
- Climatology studies long-term average weather conditions, variability, and extremes over 30+ years.
- It analyzes atmospheric phenomena and interactions with Earth's oceans, land, and biota.
- Early climatology (ancient) was descriptive, based on empirical observations and qualitative assessments.
- Instrumental phase (17th-19th C) used thermometers, barometers for systematic quantitative data collection.
Answer: Climatology is the scientific study of climate, which encompasses the long-term average weather conditions, their variability, and extremes within a specific region or globally, typically over periods of 30 years or more. It is a fundamental branch of atmospheric sciences that systematically analyzes atmospheric phenomena and their intricate interactions with other components of the Earth system, including oceans, land surfaces, and living organisms. The primary objective of climatology is to un...