Weather is what happens over a short period of time. Climate is what happens over long periods of time. An example of weather would be rain in an area for a day or two. Climate would be a desert.

Theories of Climactic Change

Climate has changed during the life of the earth. There are several possible reasons for this. One suggestion is that climate is related to the appearance and disappearance of spots on the sun's surface. We need to study this theory more.

Another theory is the movement of the continents over millions of years. Long ago, all the continents formed one giant mass called Pangaea. But this mass was broken apart by glaciers. Maybe changes in climate take a long time, like the movement of the continents.

A third theory is the earth's orbit around the sun. The shape of the orbit, the degree to which the earth is tilted and the fact that the earth's axis points at the north star could all have some effect on the climate.

The fourth theory suggests the possibility of a giant meteorite or volcano caused dust and ash to cover the sky. This would prevent the sun's rays from reaching the earth and the earth would have cooled down.

All of these theories are possibilities that we cannot prevent or control. But there is a cause for climactic change that we are creating and can hopefully prevent.

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Last modified: Tue May 12 16:58:02 PDT 1998

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