Weather, Climate and Adaptations-I

The presence of water vapour (humidity) in the air makes chips and biscuits moist.

Deserts are the places where air is dry with minimal water content and temperature is very high. So, the climate in deserts is hot and dry.

Polar bears live in the polar regions where the temperature may go down to -37⁰C. To survive in these conditions, their body is covered with a layer of fat under the skin. This acts as a heat insulator and does not allow the body heat to escape.

Polar bears protect themselves from the predators with the help of their skin which is covered with white fur. This makes them hardly visible in the snowy background.

Polar regions are the regions situated near the poles, i.e. North Pole and South Pole. Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden are the places belonging to polar regions.

If the amount of rainfall at a place is high, the climate of that place will be wet. This is the reason why the climate of North-East is wet.

The day to day conditions of atmosphere at a place with respect to temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind speed, etc. is called weather. The weather of a place keeps changing day after day and week after week, whereas climate, soil texture and vegetation are the factors particular of a place and do not change on a daily or weekly basis.

Meterology is the  <span style="font-family:" arial;="" font-size:="" small;="">branch of science that deals with weather report. The department which collects data on temperature, wind etc. and makes the weather prediction is known as Meteorological Department.

The composition of air is CO₂, N₂, O₂, traces of some other gases and water vapours. More the water vapours in the air, more the moisture content. The measure of water vapour in the air is known as humidity.

Sun is a huge sphere of hot gases with a very high temperature and is a source of all the heat and light energy on earth.

Thermometer is a device used to measure the temperature of a body. To measure the atmospheric temperature, maximum and minimum thermometers are used.

Tropical rainforests are found in the tropical regions like India, Malaysia, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda etc.

Polar regions are the regions situated near the poles, i.e., North Pole and South Pole. Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden are the places that belong to polar regions. These regions are very cold; here the sun does not set for six months and for the other six months, it does not rise.

Adaptation is defined as a change in structure, function or form that improves the chance of survival of an animal or plant within a given environment. Thus, it is the ability of a species to survive in a particular ecological niche.

Weather of a place keeps changing on daily basis and the prediction of the weather of coming days is said to be weather forecast. The average weather pattern taken over a long time is called climate of the place.

Sun is a huge sphere of hot gases with a very high temperature. All the changes in weather are caused by sun, which is said to be the primary cause of all the changes in weather. Wind speed, water and temperature are the elements of weather.

Polar bears have a strong sense of smell and their bodies are covered with white fur. These features help them to locate and catch their prey easily without letting it escape.

Polar regions are very cold regions located near the poles. These regions do not get sun light for 6 months and during these 6 winter months the temperature falls down to -37⁰C.

Thermometer is a device used to measure the temperature of a body. To measure the atmospheric temperature, maximum and minimum thermometers are used. The maximum temperature generally occurs in the afternoon, while the minimum occurs early morning.

Just like polar bears, penguins are also good swimmers. They have two adaptations – a streamlined body and webbed feet.

Polar bears have several adaptations to fit themselves well in the cold climate of polar region. Their large wide paws help them to swim well in water and to walk with ease on snow.

Thiruvananthapuram is a place located in the state Kerala, which receives maximum rainfall during the month of June.

The day to day conditions of atmosphere at a place with respect to temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind speed etc. is called weather. So, soil texture is not an element of weather.

Penguin is a well know animal living in the polar regions. It is white, has a thick skin and a lot of fat to protect it from cold. Penguins are inhabitants of polar regions and not the tropical regions

Rainfall is measured by an instrument called rain gauge. This is basically a measuring cylinder with a funnel on top to collect rainwater.