How would you define winter? If you live at the North Pole, winter is that freezing time when the sun does not shine at all. If you live in San Diego, winter is that chilly time when days are very short. If you live in the Amazon Rain forest, you may not be able to answer this question because you do not have a winter. We use seasons as a way of dividing up the year, but not all places on Earth experience seasons in the same way. No matter where you come from, you will notice that certain things--hours of daylight, the weather, the environment--change as one season flows into the next. Tropical areas like Mumbai are close to the equator, so they do not experience dramatic changes in day length or temperature through the year. Instead, they experience changes in rainfall rates and usually have wet and dry seasons. Did I mention Mumbai gets rain? Yes! Lots of rain! During monsoon season they get enough rain and water to last them many months during their dry season. In areas between the polar and tropical regions, day length, temperature, and rainfall change through the year. These changes give rise to the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. We know that when the days are cold, the day light only lasts for about 9 hours, and night time lasts even longer, we are experiencing winter. We also experience the days getting longer, the sun is able to warm the Earth longer each day and the plants, animals and people come out of their winter sleep and hibernation to enjoy the new warmth. Very soon the days get even longer and hotter, the nights are short and warm as we move into summer. For most people this is their favorite time of year. Before we know it the days begin to shorten, the night becomes longer and we cycle again through another and another year of seasons. We really do live on a wonderful world!
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |