What are seasons? Seasons are defined as the Earth’s axial tilt of more than 0 degrees. There are four seasons – Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring. Each has it’s own special role in the climate and weather of our planet. ?

Summer

This season is when the part of the Earth you’re living on is tilted most toward the Sun. As a result of this, days are longer, temperatures are higher, and nights are shorter. Daylight savings is in effect during summer, and daylight continues to increase until the summer solstice, which is the longest day of the year. ☀ This is on the 21st of December for us (in Australia), but in the Northern Hemisphere, it is the 21st of June. The equator is always hot because the tilt of the Earth’s axis does not affect the sunlight as much, causing the equator to remain in a constant state of Summer year round. ? The hemisphere that is in Summer will experience 24 hours of daylight at it’s respective pole. ? An example would be the Southern hemisphere where the Sun is shining 24 hours a day in December/January/February in Antarctica.

Autumn

When the Earth starts to tilt away, we enter a new season called Autumn. Temperatures begin to cool week by week as daylight slowly decreases. At the equinox on the 21st of March, day and night in both hemispheres are equal, and the Arctic and Antarctic both have 12 hours of complete light and darkness. ☀?

When this season is in effect, leaves on deciduous trees start turning from green to yellow to red, and then to brown as a substance known as chlorophyll is taken into the trunk by the tree which in turn, causes the leaf to die, thus turning these beautiful shades and falling off the tree. ? Maple trees are my favourite trees because of this phenomenon – they turn a bright fiery red. ? It also starts to get wetter as the season progresses. Red is also my favourite colour! ?

Winter

This season is the coldest of them all and occurs when the part of the Earth you’re living on has tilted most away from the Sun, which in turn, causes low temperatures, high rainfall, and frost to appear on the ground, often in the mornings. ? Because there is less sunlight, UV levels are lower, and the Arctic and the Antarctic are in complete darkness. ?? This causes temperatures at and around these areas to fall drastically, which is why a lot of animals hibernate during the winter months. ?Snakes for example, hibernate in holes until the early Spring. ?Temperate climates and colder areas of the planet typically have snowfalls, frozen lakes, and even blizzards! ❄?☃

Spring

Spring happens when the Earth starts to tilt toward the Sun. As a result, day length increases, night length decreases, and temperatures start to warm up. This causes flowers to bloom, and as the flowers bloom, bees, wasps and other pollinators come out to pollinate the flowers. ? For example, bees pollinate flowers and gather nectar. ? Birds start building their nests for their young and deciduous trees start to regrow their leaves, as well as bushes starting to regrow their berries and other fruits. ? ? ? ? Spring is also changeable in it’s first two months – it can get hot, dry and sunny, or it can be cold, windy and rainy, and sometimes, all four seasons in one day. The four common seasons only affect the higher latitudes from the equator. ??

The Equator

Unlike the higher latitudes, the equator only has two seasons – wet and dry. This is why rainforests are so common there – the hot temperatures, constant sunlight, and high humidity has allowed beautiful palm trees and many diverse animal and plant species exclusive to this part of the Earth to spring forth. Cocoa, which is in fact chocolate in seed form (and very bitter), comes from the equator, and can only be grown in specific areas. Anyway, onto the last two seasons exclusive to this part of the Earth. ? ? ?

Wet

The wet season lasts for 6 months and involves heavy rainfall, high winds, and thunderstorms as the ocean is warm here. The dramatic difference in temperatures from the top of the troposphere and the ground at the equator cause massive storm systems to form. Some of these start to spin, thus producing an ‘eye’ in the center of the storm, this is known as a cyclone in Australia. Cyclones typically form in the wet season and are usually absent in the dry season. Without the wet season, the entire equator would wither into a desert, which is why this season exists. ⛈ ? ?

Dry

This season starts 6 months after the wet season has started, and is the inverse or opposite of the wet season, characterised by absence of rain, sunny days and drier conditions. People often love the dry season in the tropics because they can go to the beach, play volleyball, go on cruises, and much more. The constant sunshine attracts tourists from all over the world to this area of the Earth – some want warmth from the winters they live in, and others just want to have a good time. Because of this season, surfing is an iconic way of life in these regions. ? ?☀?

And thats it to seasons! ? Hope ya learned a lot today. ??