Variability (Natural, Patterns of, Climatological)

Weather is constantly changing. Climate, in contrast, is a record of the variations in weather over long periods of time. For example, the climate of the Ice Age, which, in terms of geologic ages was a mere few thousand years ago, was extremely cold; since then the global climate has warmed considerably. However, the long-term trends in the climate, whether of localities, continents, or even of the globe, vary in discernable patterns. One factor that has affected the variability of the climate has been continental drift. Over millions of years, continents moved from warmer regions to colder regions and vice versa. However, of interest to climatologists are variable patterns that are more intermediate.

From the 1940s until the early 1970s, the climate in North America was ...