Climate, Weather and Economy: Key Concepts Explained

Climate and Weather

Geography: climate, atmospheric time. Time: the time of the atmosphere, its state in one area at a given moment, determines the weather.

Temperature

Temperature is the degree of heating or cooling of the air. Its main factors are:

• Latitude: the closer to the Equator, the higher the temperature; temperature decreases toward the poles.
• Altitude and relief: temperature decreases on average 6 degrees Celsius for every 1,000 meters of altitude.
• Influence of the sea: the sea heats and cools more slowly than the land, moderating the temperature of coastal areas.
• Ocean currents: warm or cold currents preferentially heat or cool the coasts they wash.

Precipitation

Precipitation is the fall of water from the atmosphere to the Earth's surface, such as rain, hail or snow. It is measured with a pluviometer and expressed in liters per square meter. Its main causes are:

• Convective precipitation: caused by intense heating of the air near the surface. When the ground and subsoil warm, the water evaporates and rises, condensing and forming clouds that cause precipitation.
• Orographic precipitation: when moist air meets a mountain obstacle, it is forced to rise, cool, and condense, forming rain.
• Frontal precipitation: arises when warm, moist air comes into contact with cold air. The contact zone is called a front.

Atmospheric Pressure

Atmospheric pressure is the force exerted by the atmosphere on the Earth's surface.

• High pressure (anticyclones): pressure is higher than 1013 mb. These are stable systems with good weather.
• Low pressure (depressions or storms): pressure is lower than 1013 mb. These are unstable systems that bring precipitation.

Weather Maps

A weather map represents the atmospheric conditions of a place at a given time. It includes:

• Isobars: lines joining points of equal pressure. Anticyclones and depressions are represented by isobars.
• Fronts: represented by a red line for warm fronts and a line of blue triangles for cold fronts.
• Pressure gradient: isobars close together indicate strong winds.

Climate Zones

• Equatorial: high temperatures, high precipitation, high vegetation: rainforest.
• Tropical: high temperatures, high precipitation, high vegetation: tropical rainforest.
• Dry tropical: high temperatures, mild winters and hot summers, long dry season, vegetation: savanna.
• Desert: high temperatures, scarce or no precipitation, vegetation: none or scarce.
• Mediterranean: mild temperatures, warm summers and mild winters, maximum precipitation in spring and autumn, vegetation: evergreen forest and scrubland.
• Oceanic: mild temperatures, mild winters and cool summers, frequent precipitation all year, vegetation: deciduous forest, heath, and meadows.
• Continental: cold winters and warm summers, maximum precipitation in summer, vegetation: taiga.
• Polar: very low temperatures, very low precipitation in the form of ice or snow, vegetation: tundra.
• High mountain: low temperatures, cold winters and cool summers, precipitation in the form of snow, vegetation arranged in layers.

Spain: Location and Territory

Spain is a country in Europe located in the southern temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. It comprises the following territories: most of the Iberian Peninsula, delimited by natural borders. On the Iberian Peninsula there are also other territories. The Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands are archipelagos. The cities of Ceuta and Melilla are also part of Spain.

Economic Activity

The economy is the administration of the existing resources in order to satisfy the needs of people. Economic activity is the set of actions that people carry out to satisfy their needs.

Economic Goods and Services

• Goods: tangible objects produced to satisfy human needs.
• Services: activities provided to people or groups. They are characterized by being intangible and cannot be stored or sold.

Factors of Production

Economic activity produces goods and services using resources called production factors, which are: natural resources, human resources, fixed and circulating capital.

Economic Systems

• Planned economy: controlled by the state, typically socialist.
• Market economy or capitalist economy: the most common. Individuals have freedom to buy and sell goods and services, with private property. The state intervenes only in the formulation of economic policy. It is based on supply and demand: if supply is scarce, prices rise; if supply is abundant, prices fall.

Economic Agents

• Families: formed by a group or an individual, they are consumers of goods and services, and they reflect the consumer price index (CPI).
• Companies: they produce goods and services offered in the market. Their charge is to obtain income and manage expenses. Income minus expenses equals profits or gains.
• The State: government expenditure and public administration.

Human Resources and Employment

Workers constitute a factor of production, the labor force. The employment situation has positive or negative influences on the economy and on families in the country. Social security protects citizens in case of unemployment and need.

Changes in the Economy

As the number of people seeking employment increases, information and communication technologies have revolutionized production. Each company has the facility to dismiss and hire employees, and workers are increasingly qualified.

Globalization

The world economy has been influenced by globalization, the creation of a world market through information and communication technologies and multinational companies. Economic blocs such as the European Union and trade integration agreements with common interests and market characteristics eliminate tariffs and allow the free circulation of people and capital. The United Nations (UN) and Europe are organizations that favor globalization.