We are used to saying that we are hot in summer and cold in winter. The sensation of cold can be unpleasant if we do not tolerate low temperatures very well. However, many people do not know what is cold and why we feel it.
For this reason, we are going to dedicate this article to telling you everything you need to know about what cold is, what its characteristics and importance are.
what is cold
Cold is the absence of heat. Therefore, cold is defined as the absence of a chemical reaction that produces energy (also known as exothermic) and produces heat. The sensation of cold is subjective and relative. In some countries, cold is manifested when the temperature drops below 18 degrees Celsius, while in other parts of the world, such temperatures are not considered cold. To learn more about this aspect, you can consult our article on what is a cold wave.
Cold is not only low temperature, but is related to individual perception and therefore is subjective. For people, the perception of temperature is mainly based on the heat reduction capacity that an object has for the individual, that is, for two objects with the same temperature, a person will perceive the object as hotter or colder.
The coldest regions of the Earth are the poles because less sunlight reaches these regions. At the Russian Orient Base in Antarctica, the lowest temperature recorded on Earth was -94,4 °C. Temperatures are much lower on planets further from the sun than Earth. On Neptune, for example, the temperature can reach 55 Kelvin, or around -218 °C.
The Boomerang Nebula is the coldest known place in the universe, with an estimated temperature of 1 Kelvin, roughly equivalent to -272 degrees Celsius.
What is the cold on the body
For the body, cold means that it is cooler than the normal environment: “My hands are cold”, “I am cold, please lend me a coat”. Cold is also an adjective used symbolically. Apathetic person is one who shows indifference, detachment or disinterest in something or someone.
Cold words, on the other hand, can refer to things that are not interesting or direct: "Your cold answer did not satisfy me", "The explanation was so cold that nobody was moved". Finally, applying the concept of cold to sex allows us to name people who are indifferent to pleasure: “Victoria is cold in private”, “My ex-partner is cold”.
The concept of cold is associated with refrigeration (the process of lowering and maintaining the temperature of an object or space), freezing (a form of preservation based on the freezing of water), and cryogenics (a technique used to cool materials to boiling temperatures) where nitrogen is an even lower temperature.
Polar climate
It is characterized by temperatures below 0 ° C almost permanently, rainfall is very scarce. The humidity in the air is very high and the winds are usually very strong, which makes living conditions in this climate even harsher.
The polar climate occurs mainly at the poles, and the situation is even worse in Antarctica, as it is a continent, and the temperature is even lower than at the North Pole, reaching -70, -80 and even -89,5°C respectively. If you want to know more about countries with extremely cold climates, check out the article on the coldest countries on the planet.
The climates of the highest regions of the Earth's major mountain ranges are very similar to those of the polar regions and can occur in the peaks of the Himalayas, the Andes or the mountains of Alaska.
The natural environment of a boreal or polar environment is between the Arctic and Antarctic circles and the corresponding north and south poles, between 65° and 90° north and south latitude.
Cold weather
These are humid subantarctic and subarctic climates with harsh winters, with average temperatures below -3ºC in the coldest months and above 10ºC in the warmest months. These temperature limits are more or less in line with those of forests. bipolar. Places with this climate are characterized by being covered in snow for one or more months. There are two basic types:
- Humid Continental: It occupies most of the temperate zone. This is very contrasting. A very cold and dry winter is the opposite of a hot and rainy summer. The annual thermal oscillations are very high.
- Temperate Continental: Unlike its predecessors, it has a dry season in winter.
Cold and its consequences
Colds affect people's health in a variety of ways, especially when they are severe. Except for illnesses directly related to colds, such as hypothermia or frostbite.
People most vulnerable to intense cold
- Older people are usually more vulnerable to intense cold since they have a somewhat more degraded immune system. It is normal that they often say more phrases like "I'm cold" or "it's very cold there". They are usually seen with more clothes than normal even in hotter times.
- Because their neurovascular response systems are not yet as developed as children or adults, newborns and infants cannot fight off a cold.
- People of low socioeconomic status because they lack adequate thermal clothing or live in unhealthy houses, poorly insulated, without heating, etc.
- Immigrants in a precarious situation: especially temporary workers without adequate housing.
- People with chronic diseases such as respiratory failure and asthma, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypothyroidism, addictions or neuropsychiatric disorders.
- People who take certain medications for chronic conditions.
- People with reduced mobility, malnutrition, physical exhaustion and alcoholism.
- Those who exercise outdoors within the zone are a group at special risk.
Winters are not only harsh for humans, but animals also have to deal with low temperatures very hard. Pets such as dogs and cats, contrary to popular comment, they do get very cold and it is necessary to keep them warm so that they do not have problems.
