Climatology

A branch of Physical Geography devoted to the study of climates, both at a descriptive level and with regard to their long-term changes and the different causes that determine them. Among its tasks is the collection and statistical treatment of meteorological data, which allows different climates to be defined and characterized and classified according to certain criteria. It is common to confuse Climatology with Meteorology, although they are two distinct sciences, pursuing different objectives. The expression "adverse climatology" is very commonly used to refer to adverse weather, and reference is also often made to "climatological conditions" instead of meteorological ones, which highlights the misuse many people make of the concepts of weather and climate (Meteorology and Climatology). The study of climate change has boosted this branch of knowledge, turning it into an emerging scientific discipline, to which thousands of scientists worldwide are currently devoted. The word "climatology" referring to a place is also used to identify the set of statistical data characterizing its climate.