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But Is It Weather?
No. Once again, weather is a short-term situation. You know what the weather is today. It's hot, it's cold. whatever. But if we plopped you in some unknown location, you would only know the weather. You wouldn't know what kind of climate you were in.
It's the long-term idea behind climate that makes it useful. Weather departments still have problems forecasting weather one week ahead of time. But scientists have so much information about long-term patterns; they are able to tell what the climate will be like six months before it happens. It is a general knowledge, but relatively accurate.
A climatologist would be able to say, "It will be warmer and drier in six months." But a weather forecaster would not be able to give you a good idea of what the weather will be like two weeks from today.
They Are Both Important
Don't think that one is more important than the other. They have their uses. Knowledge of climate allows farmers to plant specific crops in locations that will help them grow. Knowledge of the weather will help that same farmer know if he will need to protect those same crops from an overnight freeze. Climate studies allow for long-term planning and weather studies allow for short-term planning.
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Clouds of Ice
From its perspective in space, ICESat measures Earth's dynamic features with unprecedented accuracy. These measurements are providing scientists with a new way of understanding our changing planet. (NASA/KSC)
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Storms from Space
The current fleet of GOES satellites provide weather monitoring and forecast operations, as well as continuous environmental information and severe weather warnings. (NASA/KSC)
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