SCIENCE - Chapter 2: Climate

study of atmosphere and atmosphere phenoma including weather and climate

Meteorology

• expert or student of meteorology or a weather forecaster

• uses scientific principles to observe, explain and forecast our weather

Meteorologist

4 Metorological Scales

• Microscale

• Mesoscale

• Synoptic Scale

• Global Scale

• short-lived atmosphere phenomena >1km

• short life spans (less than a day)

• study the processes that occur between sol, vegetation, surface water

• small or local

Example:

Features of Clouds

Tornado

Microscale Meteorology

• studies phenomena like thunderstorms, windstorms, land and sea breeze

• range size from a few km to roughly 1000 km

• medium or regional

Example:

• Large thunderstorms

• weather fronts

Mesoscale Meteorology

• Large or national and continental

• large scale or cyclonic scale

• high and low pressure systems on local weather forecasts

• 100s to 1000s km

• up to a month

Ex:

High and low pressure areas

Tropical Cyclones (Hurricanes and Typhoons)

Extratropical Cyclones

Synoptic Meteorology

• Largest or global

• weather patterns related to the transport of heat wind and moisture from the tropics to the poles

• 40,075 km by equator

• months and years

Ex:

Global Winds

Trade winds and monsoons

El Nino and El Nina

Westerlies

Global Scale Meteorology

4 Meteorological Scales

____________ and __________ describes the condition of the atmosphere

Weather and Climate

• short term condition of the atmosphere

• mostly happens in the troposphere

Weather

• average weather of an area over a long period of time

• long term average condition of atmosphere of a location

Climate

Factors Affecting the Weather

• Temperature

• Humidity

• Precipitation

• Wind Speed

Scientific Study of Climate

Climatology

Factors Affecting Climate

• Latitude

• Altitude

• Distance form the ocean

• Topography

• Ocean Currents

• imaginary lines

• east-west location/direction across earth

Latitude

5 lines of latitude

• Arctic Circle (66.5 N)

• Tropic of Cancer (23.5 N)

• Equator (0 degrees)

• Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 S)

• Antarctic Circle (66.5 S)

Different parts of the earth receive different amounts of solar radiation because earth is tilted on its axis

Climate Zones

• height of an area above sea level

• as altitude increases, temp increases

• temp decreases 6.5 Celsius for every 1 km increase in altitude

Altitude

Elevation: 1500 KM

Annual Average temp: 16 Celsius

Baguio

• when the sun’s heat reaches earth, it heats up both bodies of land and water

• areas nearby bodies of water have more moderate climate ranges and higher average precipitation

Distance from the Ocean

• the rotation of the earth is west to east

• Northern Hemisphere - clockwise

• Southern Hemisphere - Counter Clockwise

• Rotation is affected by the rotation of the earth in its axis

• ocean currents that flow away from the equator carry warm water

• air above warm water has high temp also

Ocean Currents

• apparent deflection of objects moving in a straight path relativ to the earths surface

• Named by French mathematician Gaspard Gustave de Coriolis

Coriolis Effect (Part of Ocean Currents)

• contains greenhouse gases that are found in the atmosphere such as CO2 (Carbon Dioxide), CH4 (Methane), H2O (Water Vapour)

• solar energy is reflected back to space and some are trapped

• warming of the earth because of trapped greenhouse gases

Greenhouse Effect

• keep our planet warm and is essential for life

• absorbs energy by trapping it in the atmosphere

• too much may cause global warming

• higher greenhouse gases, more radiation is absorbed which causes a rise in the temp of the earth

Greenhouse Gases

Earths temp will be -18 Celsius if theres no greenhouse effect

No Greenhouse Effect

Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the PH

55% Energy

29% Agriculture

9% Waste

7% Industrial Processes

Major Causes of Greenhouse Effect

Burning

Deforestation

Landfill

Farming

Transportation

• scientists capture atmospheric carbon dioxide and store it underground

Carbon Sequestration

Top 10 Countries that emit the most CO2

1. China

2. USA

3. India

4. Russia

5. Japan

6. Iran

7. Germany

8. Saudi Arabia

9. South Korea

10. Indonesia

• 196 Parties/countries attended

• Dec 12 2015

• Goal is to hold the increasing of the global ave. temp to well below 2 Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts the limit the temp increase to 15 Celsius above pre-industrial lvls

Paris Agreement 2015

• rise of the temp on earth

• increase of magnitude of the greenhouse effect

• leads to a rapid change in climate (climate change)

Global warming

• change in the ave. temp and cycles of weather over a long period of time

• since 1880 (industrialization), scientists have kept thermometer based records of the global surface temp

• the planet is becoming warmer the climate is changing

Climate Change

• mitigation, adaptation, future risks

• policy makers

IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)

What causes climate change

• fossil fuels (burning) - generating energy

• deforestation

• reduction of biodiversity (unstable ecosystem)

Climate change is damaging environments across our planets:

• extreme weather

• sea level rise

• melting of ice caps and sea ice

• warming ocean temp

Factors affected

• food farming

• communities

• animals

• plants

• ocean life

• habitat

Ways to prevent climate change

• grow own food

• meat free days at school and home

• reduce amt of electricity used at schools and home

• tree planting activity

• supreme decision making body of the convention

• review national communications and emmision inventories submitted by parties

the countries who have contributed the least to the climate crisis are the ones who are affected the most

COP (Conference of the Parties)

patterns in the pacific ocean

El Nino and La Nina

moves from east to west along the equator

Trade Winds (Easterly Winds)

transition layer between warmer mixed water at ocean surface and cooler deep water below

upwelling of colder water is blocked by the large quantities of warm surface water in WPO

Cold water is rich in nutrients

Thermocline

• climate phenomena on earth due to its ability to change the global atmospheric circulation, which in turn, influences temp and precipitation across the globe

ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation)

• occurs during the xmas season (dec to feb)

• trade winds that move from East to West are weakened

• climate pattern that describes the unusual warming of surface waters in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

El Nino

• unusual heavy rainfall and low temp

• trade winds that move from E to W are strengthened

• triggered by the cooling of the eastern part of the pacific ocean

La Nina

Difference of La Nina and El Nino

La Nina

• heavy rainfall

• water contaminated

• dengue, leptospirosis

• and malaria

El Nino

• little rainfall

• heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke