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Climatology
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<p>Climatology (from <a href="/facts/Ancient_Greek/LIK7NlUh">Greek</a> κλίμα, <i>klima</i>, "slope"; and -λογία, <i>-logia</i>) or climate science is the scientific study of Earth's <a href="/facts/Climate/f57XrNFU">climate</a>, typically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of at least 30 years. Climate concerns the atmospheric condition during an extended to indefinite period of time; weather is the condition of the atmosphere during a relative brief period of time. The main topics of research are the study of <a href="/facts/Climate_variability/D3X6Ulbu">climate variability</a>, <a href="/facts/Climate_change/rEN4BDE7">mechanisms of climate changes</a> and <a href="/facts/Modern_climate_change/rEN4BDE7">modern climate change</a>. This topic of study is regarded as part of the <a href="/facts/Atmospheric_sciences/HKjTA3F4">atmospheric sciences</a> and a subdivision of <a href="/facts/Physical_geography/NByHKLCQ">physical geography</a>, which is one of the <a href="/facts/Earth_science/rQsXCSbM">Earth sciences</a>. Climatology includes some aspects of <a href="/facts/Oceanography/LtrG6peD">oceanography</a> and <a href="/facts/Biogeochemistry/LuEFpDum">biogeochemistry</a>. </p><p>The main methods employed by climatologists are the analysis of observations and <a href="/facts/Climate_model/5xQBYLcl">modelling</a> of the physical processes that determine climate. Short term <a href="/facts/Weather_forecasting/nzqyMFCa">weather forecasting</a> can be interpreted in terms of knowledge of longer-term phenomena of climate, for instance climatic cycles such as the <a href="/facts/El_Ni%25C3%25B1o%25E2%2580%2593Southern_Oscillation/FVgabDRn">El Niño–Southern Oscillation</a> (ENSO), the <a href="/facts/Madden%25E2%2580%2593Julian_oscillation/gG4cle7S">Madden–Julian oscillation</a> (MJO), the <a href="/facts/North_Atlantic_oscillation/gCuuMj8U">North Atlantic oscillation</a> (NAO), the <a href="/facts/Arctic_oscillation/sroyW0Ig">Arctic oscillation</a> (AO), the <a href="/facts/Pacific_decadal_oscillation/rlPvnQwK">Pacific decadal oscillation</a> (PDO), and the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO). <a href="/facts/Climate_model/5xQBYLcl">Climate models</a> are used for a variety of purposes from studying the dynamics of the weather and climate system to predictions of future climate. </p>