The Cold weather characteristics Alludes to those polar and winter zones but that can also be found in other places of the planet.
Within the meteorological sciences, cold is conceived not as an independent phenomenon but as a consequence of heat, a temperature with opposite characteristics.
However, cold (and also heat) are not an objectivity but their perception depends on the sensations of each individual, organism or substance.
Not only the low (or high) temperatures are an accurate record of the thermometer, but also that conception varies according to the sensations of each body, depending on how easily each one has to extract energy in the form of heat.
In the case of cold, their records under 0 ° c are considered as polar temperatures, in which living conditions may be affected
Within the cold climate there are three classifications: continental cold, polar and mountain. The first one is quite severe, with temperature up to -50ºc. The second is extreme with few moments of temperatures above zero and minimum temperatures of up to -80 degrees Celsius, while the latter occurs at the highest points on Earth.
The main characteristics of cold weather
1- Low humidity
The cold climate causes that the ambient humidity is almost nonexistent, which generates a long season without precipitations that can condition the life cycle of different species of the fauna and the terrestrial flora.
These situations generate hostile living conditions, with seasonal complications that force adaptation.
2- The inclination of the Sun
The beginning of winter, and therefore of low temperatures, is defined by the fact that the sun reaches its maximum south declination (-23 ° 27 '). This generates that the solar rays arrives with a greater slope in reference to the terrestrial surface, which diminishes its intensity and therefore heat.
3- A higher altitude, colder
The sensation of cold increases as you reach higher height. This is due to the effect of the warming of the Earth's surface, the atmospheric pressure and the greenhouse effect.
4- The cold shrinks
There are numerous examples that low temperatures can cause a loss of size in different bodies. When a body inflation is caused, cold is used for treatment.
Something similar happens with metal structures that shrink with low temperatures. A paradigmatic case is that of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which loses six centimeters during the winter.
5- More urination
As a curiosity, there is a direct relationship between the urinary system of humans and the low temperatures. During the winter months there is a greater urge to urinate, something that is scientifically proven.
This is caused by a phenomenon known as vasoconstriction, produced by the narrowing of the lumen of a blood vessel, which causes a decrease in its diameter.
Thus the blood becomes denser to reduce heat loss, the smooth muscle of the area contracts and the urge to urinate, which is three times more than during the summer months.
6- The danger of resolana
Technically defined as albedo and popularly known as resolana, the reflection of the sun on any surface is more dangerous with low temperatures.
This situation has its maximum expression in the snow, whose radiation of the rays can generate dangerous effects in the organisms that are exposed to her. However, it can be produced on other surfaces.
7- Skin of chicken
Cold causes in humans two reactions, one of them is the trembling of the body (known as tiriteo, which is a reaction that generates internal heat) and the other is the skin of chicken or chicken.
This last effect occurs because the body hair is erected to generate a cover of air next to the skin which would lead to that the heat is maintained.
In animals with a lot of hair this reaction is very effective, however in humans not, since we have little superficial hair.
8- Snow
The clouds contain tiny drops of water inside, which materialize mostly in the form of rain. However, with the low temperatures fall in the form of snow.
This occurs because with falling temperatures below 0 ° centigrade, water vapor is converted into thin ice crystals, which clump together in snowflakes. Something striking is that the temperature rises a few degrees when it snows.
9- Freezing
One of the characteristics of the cold is the freezing effect that occurs when temperatures exceed the 0 barrier.
Scientifically defined freezing as the point of solidification of water. This occurs when the molecules move less by decreasing kinetic energy and are stuck.
10- Variation of the atmospheric pressure
Air weighs, although humans have no record of it, this effect happens and is known as atmospheric pressure. This is defined as the force exerted by the air on the earth's surface.
The cold causes the atmospheric pressure to decrease as temperatures drop and then rise suddenly. This creates wedge-shaped cold fronts, which seem to traverse bodies.
eleven- Increased depression
The cold causes fewer hours of sunshine, the night comes faster and the lower temperatures reduce the chances of common activities outdoors, which translates into a higher rate of depression in humans.
Although it seems strange, there are scientific studies that verified this relationship between the cold and the mood of people. However, cold does not always have to be harmful, for example, Cold water showers Are recommended to calm stress.
12- Cold causes more desire to sleep
The biological clock and the low temperatures are in close relation. The cold leads to stillness, but also the lack of hours of sunshine makes the dream more intense.
13- Death of insects
The low temperatures of winter provoke a lethal effect on the insects, that has its main expression in the flies. Although some species manage to survive the cold, most do not and they die.
This effect is reversed during the hot summer months, which is an invasion of flies in most of the world.
As for the life that develops in these climates, the animals that live under these conditions developed different adaptations to this situation as leafy coats or changes in their life cycle, for example: great periods of rest during the winter.
In plants the situation may be more complex. Very few species withstand extreme cold, so there are very few types that survive the intense cold.
14- More colds
Temperatures affect the immune system, generating different body reactions, some of which can be expressed as illness.
An example of this situation occurs with colds and flu, which occur more easily during the lower temperature stages, with winter being the season with more cases in the world.
Scientists have discovered that these happen because the antiviral response of the body is less effective to viruses that generate colds when temperatures are lower.
15- The wind is more intense
The horizontal displacement of air masses, known as wind, is caused by differences in atmospheric pressure, which vary with the low temperatures and make them more intense. In winter these variations are more pronounced and the winds more intense.