Global Climate: Chronological Perspective

The climate is the average weather over a long period of time that affects a vast area, possibly the entire globe. The state of the atmosphere over a specific area is represented by the weather on an hourly or daily basis. The major elements of the climate include the atmosphere, ocean, snow and ice cover, land surface, rotation and revolution of the globe, incoming solar radiation, and biota. Their interaction creates a system known as the climate system. In fact, it is the climate system, which makes our planet Earth a habitable entity in the Universe (Ozturk et al. 2015). The climate system varies over time as a result of changes in external factors like solar radiation and air composition as well as its own internal dynamics like volcanic eruptions. It is one of the planet’s oldest systems and has made a substantial contribution to the beginning and progression of life across time. Since the Earth’s formation approximately 4.6 billion years ago, it has undergone continuous change, and as a result, the planet’s climate has also undergone periodic alteration. By examining the elements that make up the climate system, we may learn about the current climate. However, knowledge of both the present and the past climates is required to comprehend the current dynamics of the climate and anticipate its future condition. The past climate, the factors that influenced historical climatic conditions and climate changes during the Quaternary Period, when humans emerged as the planet’s main biotic element, is all depicted in detail in this chapter.