Definition: Climatology is the study of climate. Statistical information is gathered and cataloged to determine long-term trends in weather.
Climate and weather are different topics in meteorology. Climate studies are the collection of long-term weather data and include additional analysis of oceanic, atmospheric, and geologic observations.
One of the benefits of climatology is the availability of data for past weather. Understanding past weather can give meteorologists and everyday citizens a view of trends in weather over an extended period of time in most locations around the globe. Commonly gathered climatology data include:
- Temperature
- Precipitation
- Air pressure
- Wind speed and direction
- Water vapor
- Surface radiation
- Ocean salinity and temperature
Sources:
Essential Climate Variables - The Ocean Observations Panel for Climate
Also Known As: Climate studies, the study of climate
