Precipitation plays a major role in determining the climate of an area. Rainfall is critical, in particular, for it replenishes ground water and supplies both natural watershed systems and irrigation channels. Worldwide rainfall averages vary greatly from region to region. Average rainfall is determined by the depth of water falling on a flat surface and is measured by a rain gauge.

Climate is the long-term effect of the sun's radiation on the rotating earth's varied surface and atmosphere. It can be understood most easily in terms of annual or seasonal average precipitation and average temperature. Precipitation is any kind of water that falls from the sky as part of the weather. This includes snow, rain, sleet, freezing rain, hail, and virga. Precipitation is a major part of the hydrologic cycle, and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the planet.

Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region. It refers to the ground cover provided by plants, and is the most abundant biotic element of the biosphere. The term Natural Vegetation characterizes those soils where vegetation grows without active and frequent intervention by people. Vegetation serves several critical functions in the biosphere. It regulates the flow of numerous biogeochemical cycles; affects soil characteristics and is a primary source of oxygen in the atmosphere.

Geographical areas, characterized by distinct plant communities are called vegetation regions. Community composition, determined by climate, may be affected by factors such as geology, soil composition and erosion, water drainage patterns and human interference. The specific traits of tundra vegetation are: one-layer closed vegetation cover; predominance of perennial plants; high importance of dwarf shrubs, mosses and lichens; the lack of shrubs and trees.

Rain is associated with water. During the summer season from time to time we ask God for rain. We need rain not only because it is hot and rain usually refreshes us but also because we know that crops depends much on rain. The more crops we get the better for us and for economy of the country we live in and for other countries as well. Rainfall predictions associated with climate change may be variable across even one country, not speaking about larger areas on a global scale. For example across Australia some areas are getting more and other less rain. Since 1975 to 2005 Perth annual average rainfall is half what is was from 1911 to 1974.

In the light of the current climate changes, the science of nature processes observation - better known as phenology - is extremely essential. All over the word there is a rather great number of acting organizations dealing with the variation in timing of life cycle events. Their goal is to increase the efficiency, added value and use of phenological monitoring and research.

Being an integral part of nature, we are the witnesses of constant changes that have taken place all over the world, not to mention during probably millions years of human existence. Our ancestry provided us with different weather tokens that are rather helpful. Nowadays this usual keenness of observation has become the science that is known as phenology. Plant phenology has evolved into a respected yet still relatively new area of study.

Maritime climate, as its name implies, is greatly influenced by the nearby ocean. For example: the ocean has the ability to retain warmth much longer than land. The ocean currents constantly move warm or cold water, not to mention precipitation that creates heavy cloud cover and results in high level of precipitation - all these are the factors of maritime climate formation. And that in turn impacts your vacation.

There's more to the earth's oceanic climate than cool breezes and gentle waves washing up on the beach. Occupying two-thirds of the dry land oceans and seas play an important role in our life. This huge territory represents an enormous amount of scientific information. They determine climates and biomes as well as our life in general. One of the climates that most of all influenced by the ocean is oceanic climate.

Many people, when they hear about the North and South Poles, knit their brows and shudder with horror saying "cold". But what do we know about the South and North Poles except being the extremely cold areas on the Earth? The South and North Poles are the territories of unique, unimaginable and peculiar nature and beauty. They captivate with their soothing and exciting serenity. Having rather limited biome they can amaze every traveler and visitor. So sit back and let's explore the unique diversity between the polar biome of the north and that of the south!

In the light of the current climate changes, the science of nature processes observation - better known as phenology - is extremely essential. All over the word there is a rather great number of acting organizations dealing with the variation in timing of life cycle events. Their goal is to increase the efficiency, added value and use of phenological monitoring and research.

Being an integral part of nature, we are the witnesses of constant changes that have taken place all over the world, not to mention during probably millions years of human existence. Our ancestry provided us with different weather tokens that are rather helpful. Nowadays this usual keenness of observation has become the science that is known as phenology. Plant phenology has evolved into a respected yet still relatively new area of study.

Maritime climate, as its name implies, is greatly influenced by the nearby ocean. For example: the ocean has the ability to retain warmth much longer than land. The ocean currents constantly move warm or cold water, not to mention precipitation that creates heavy cloud cover and results in high level of precipitation - all these are the factors of maritime climate formation. And that in turn impacts your vacation.

There's more to the earth's oceanic climate than cool breezes and gentle waves washing up on the beach. Occupying two-thirds of the dry land oceans and seas play an important role in our life. This huge territory represents an enormous amount of scientific information. They determine climates and biomes as well as our life in general. One of the climates that most of all influenced by the ocean is oceanic climate.

Many people, when they hear about the North and South Poles, knit their brows and shudder with horror saying "cold". But what do we know about the South and North Poles except being the extremely cold areas on the Earth? The South and North Poles are the territories of unique, unimaginable and peculiar nature and beauty. They captivate with their soothing and exciting serenity. Having rather limited biome they can amaze every traveler and visitor. So sit back and let's explore the unique diversity between the polar biome of the north and that of the south!

Being the coldest and thinly populated regions of the world, South and North Poles are still fetching and attractive. Although they are representatives of the same climate zone - Polar one - they are rather different. What is this difference? There are many aspects of it and the most observable one is coldness. Do you want to know which of these two world-representatives of chilliness the coldest one? Let's explore the North Poles together - - and you'll soon discover they are a bit different from their southern neighbors!

Some people just smile ironically when they hear about indoor air pollution a serious problem. But it is really so - some of them even suffer from air pollution effects. The most widely spread effect that indoor air pollution has on us is allergy. Probably, it is a very familiar situation for you - cleaning your house is accompanied with sneezing. Yes, cleaning is a double edged sword. It removes unwanted pollutants from the home but can also cause the home to be polluted, particularly if products are not used correctly. Many cleaning products have chemicals that can be toxic at high doses, so it is extremely important to follow principles of good practice when using them.

Global warming predictions are drought, disease, floods, and lost ecosystems. Climate change predictions are not appealing either.Researchers say that gradual global warming triggers a sudden shift in the earth's climate, causing parts of the world to dramatically heat up or cool down in the span of a few years. The worst global warming predictions are large world uninhabitable areas, massive food and water shortages, and, consequently, migrations.

Increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases are likely to accelerate the rate of climate change. Scientists expect that the average surface global temperatures could rise by 1-4.5°F (0.6-2.5°C) in the next fifty years. Evaporation will increase as the climate warms, which will increase average global precipitation. Scientists blame greenhouse effect for global warming. And consequently we, mankind, are blamed for greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide, a cause of greenhouse effect, is so to say a side action of in man-made devices such as automobiles and power plants. But Robert Essenhigh, E.G. Bailey Professor of Energy Conservation in Ohio State's Department of Mechanical Engineering says that it is the rising global temperatures that are naturally increasing the levels of carbon dioxide, not the other way around.

We invent different things to facilitate our life but the effects play a bad role for our universe. But we know perfectly well that global climate change took place centuries ago when the mankind was not so developed and advanced as we now are. And our evolution has not stopped we are moving forward. During the last years scientists have been speaking about global warming. According to the National Academy of Sciences, the Earth's surface temperature has risen by about 1 degree Fahrenheit in the past century, with accelerated warming during the past two decades. There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities.

Extreme storms are accompanied by extreme weather conditions. Extreme storms are destructive as well as tornadoes, tsunami or hurricanes. So it is very important to know beforehand about brewing extreme storms. Life decisions depend on the weather forecasts. The earlier people know about the coming extreme storms the more chances they will be able to survive, to leave their homes if it is necessary. I offer you to learn some precautious measures that should be taken in case of thunderstorm.

The longer professional meteorologists and climate experts accumulate weather records, the more likely they are to find an extreme weather event, for example temperature extremes, tornadoes or hurricanes. The record for the coldest day or the driest month is bound to be surpassed the longer they keep records.Climate change as a result partially of human activities plays not the last role in the weather extremes. Some scientists say that there is insufficient knowledge of the magnitude of natural climatic variations, especially solar radiation and ocean currents, to gauge how large the human impact is by comparison.

If not to go deep into chemical details and to make the phenomenon of ozone comprehensible for everyone, I would say that ozone is colorless gas formed of oxygen under certain circumstances. Ozone layer plays a very important protective role against radiation. Unfortunately,ozone layer is becoming thinner and thinner. So far it's a warning signal for the mankind. We should take preventive measures to stop ozone depletion. And every one of us can take some measures in our everyday life. In order to understand what measures to take, we should understand what chemicals are harmful for ozone.

Oxygen is the second most common component of the earth's atmosphere (20.947% by volume). It is a major component of air. Oxygen is very important for breathing. We start yawing when there is a lack of oxygen in the room. We try to go at the weekend to the country or to the forest to breathe fresh air rich with oxygen, produced by plants during photosynthesis. One of oxygen derivatives is ozone. Ozone layer protects the earth from harmful UV rays. Oxygen depletion is an urgent question as well as ozone layer depletion. Oxygen depletion is also called hypoxia.

Heat wave is especially difficult to be endured in big overcrowded cities where there are a lot of cars, buses and plants, their emissions make the temperature even higher. The victims of heat wave are usually people who suffer from heart diseases or have problems with blood pressure. Timely heat alert can prevent the number of victims of heat wave. The heat wave is inevitably been linked weather extremes that are one of the consequences of global warming. An argument against global warming contributing to the heat wave is that global warming generally holds that the Atlantic current would shut down or slow, actually making Europe cooler. Global dimming is also linked to the heat wave.