Introduction
The weather is everywhere and it affects our lives in many different ways – from what we wear, to where we go, to what we do.
Learning about the weather can help us better understand how it works, why it changes, and how we might actually affect it every day as well.
The weather makes the world go round (actually, it’s the other way round) but we don’t get our weather simply from the rotation of the earth. That’s part of it, and the make-up of our atmosphere is extremely important too. Add in sunlight and electrical charges and soon we’ll be able to talk about lightning storms, rainbows and snow.
This guide seeks to give you a basic understanding of the fundamentals of weather. Hopefully it will answer some of your most important questions. Maybe you’ve always wondered where thunder comes from (it’s not giants bowling in the clouds), what the ‘westerlies’ are (they’re not a boy band) or who created the very first weather maps (not me!). All these answers, and more, await you on the following pages.
Of course we have an eye on the future, too. The important topic of climate change is also covered. Simply put, this is the effect we humans have on our environment and our weather. This continues to be discussed by scientists and politicians with the aim of ensuring that we’re doing our best to look after the earth so that the weather can be enjoyed by many more people in the years to come.
Martin King