The driest continent in the world is Australia, with an average annual rainfall of 500-600mm, while Antarctica, often considered a desert, receives only 100-200mm annually. The discussion highlights the importance of defining "dryness" in terms of precipitation, including both rain and snow. Participants emphasized the need for clarity in measuring dryness, suggesting that rainfall equivalents and specific data sources are crucial for accurate comparisons. The term "driary" was identified as non-standard, with participants discussing the correct terminology related to dryness and precipitation.
PREREQUISITESGeographers, climatologists, educators, and anyone interested in understanding global climate patterns and the definitions of dryness and precipitation.
Simon Bridge said:How did you go about finding out?
How are you measuring "dryness"?
When someone asks you about how you are measuring something and you didn't personally do the measuring, then just read that is "what measure are you using?" ... in this case, that would be: "something to do with rainfall". Which is not very specific. In order to help you, I need to know about how you are thinking.I do not measure it but it is so in ...
Where did you find those "informations"? What sort of data sources are you using?...it is so in the informations I found.
Note: do you have a link to a dictionary definition for the word "driary"?Driary must be related raining amount.
Simon Bridge said:When someone asks you about how you are measuring something and you didn't personally do the measuring, then just read that is "what measure are you using?" ... in this case, that would be: "something to do with rainfall". Which is not very specific. In order to help you, I need to know about how you are thinking.
Are you thinking annual rainfall or record low rainfall?
How do you decide on a rainfall figure for an entire continent?
Are you counting snow or just liquid water?
But at least it's more specific than "driest"Where did you find those "informations"? What sort of data sources are you using?
Precipitation data is quite easy to find - but tends to be "rainfall equivalents" for Antarctica.
The various scientific bases there keep track while the Australian government has a whole met service to look up ;)
A brief informal scan suggests 5-600mm/annum for Oz, and 1-200mm/annum for Antarctica... what data you use depends heavily on what you want it for.Note: do you have a link to a dictionary definition for the word "driary"?
Simon Bridge said:Oh I see.
As far as I can tell, there is no such word as "driary" in the English language. Certainly not in common use.
Water falling out of the sky is usually called "precipitation" - and includes rain, hail, and snow.
Common language does not usually lump the different forms together.
The opposite of wet is "dry" or "arid" - the amount that something is dry would be "dryness" or "aridity".
If volume of rainfall per unit area is the measure of wetness of a place, then a measure of dryness could be the inverse wetness or area/rainfall. But we would not normally try to measure dryness since it is an absence of something and it is difficult to work with absences.