Weather, Climate and Vegetation of South Africa

INTRODUCTION

• South Africa has many different weather patterns, plants, trees and animals.
• The module focuses on weather patterns and the different natural environments of South Africa.
• You will learn how weather patterns influence the kinds of grass, plants and trees across the country.
• Quick preface question: What do you think weather is? (Discuss with a partner) and watch the video.

UNIT 1: WEATHER

• Weather is the state of the atmosphere at any time and includes four key elements: temperature, wind, cloud cover, and rainfall.
• Activity 1: Think about yesterday’s weather. In the last column of the table, describe the weather using words such as cold, cool, warm, hot, sunny, windy, calm, clear, cloudy, rainy.

ELEMENTS OF WEATHER

• Temperature
  • The temperature of a place indicates how hot or cold it is.
  • Measured in degrees Celsius, symbolised as ^
    m{o}C or using the format X^{\circ}\mathrm{C}. Example: 25^{\circ}\mathrm{C}.
• Wind
  • Wind is the movement of air; felt on the body.
  • You can see wind by leaves/paper moving and by clouds moving across the sky.
• Cloud cover
  • Clouds are made of tiny drops of water and come in many shapes/sizes.
  • Cloud cover describes how much of the sky is covered by clouds (from clear to overcast).
• Rainfall
  • Rain provides fresh water.
  • Some places in South Africa receive a lot of rain, others very little.
  • Rainfall is the amount of rain that falls in a place, measured in millimetres (mm).
  • Example: 10\ \text{mm}.

SYMBOLS IN WEATHER CHARTS

• Weather maps use common symbols to show: Rainfall, Temperature, Clouds, Wind.

PRECIPITATION

• Precipitation includes all the different ways water comes from the air.
• Rain is the most common form; snow and hail are frozen forms of water.
• Hailstones are balls of ice; they can be as large as a golf ball and can cause damage.

MEASURING TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL

• Temperature is measured with a thermometer in degrees Celsius (°C).
• Weather information sources include radio/TV weather programmes, newspapers, the Internet, and apps.
• You can estimate temperature using your body, but instruments provide accuracy.
• Rainfall is measured with a rain gauge, usually cylinder-shaped, with a scale in millimetres (mm).
• The gauge collects rainwater; you read the level to determine rainfall in mm.

READING A THERMOMETER AND RAIN GAUGE

• When the liquid in a thermometer warms, it swells and rises up the tube; when it cools, it drops down.
• Read the temperature by looking at the liquid level on the scale.
• The rain gauge typically has a scale in millimetres (mm).
• Example reading shown on the page: 26^{\circ}\mathrm{C}.

DESCRIBING THE WIND

• Wind is named by the direction it comes from (not the direction it is blowing to).
  • Northerly wind comes from the north.
  • South-easterly wind comes from the south-east.
• Wind direction is determined using a wind vane or wind sock; the arrow on the vane points to where the wind is coming from.
• Wind speed is measured in kilometres per hour (km/hour).
• Strong winds are winds blowing at speeds over 40\ \text{km/hour}.

ACTIVITY 2 & 3

• Complete both tasks in your workbook (Wind vane and Wind sock activities).

WEATHER MAPS IN THE MEDIA

• Weather maps show current and expected weather conditions for different places in the country.
• A weather forecast explains what conditions will be like in the future.
• Weather maps provide information on: temperature, rainfall, cloud cover, and wind direction.
• Meteorologists are people who record and study the weather; South Africa has the South African Weather Service (SAWS).

HOW WEATHER AFFECTS DAILY LIFE

• Daily weather influences:
  • Activities you participate in.
  • Places you visit.
  • Outdoor work you can do.
• Activity prompt: Think of three more things that depend on the weather and list them.
• INTERESTING INFORMATION: Climate change (global warming) is introduced; questions include what causes climate change, why it is changing, and what you can do to help. A video is suggested to learn more.

ACTIVITY 4: Weather Forecast in Action

• Create a 1-day South African weather forecast video (in any app) with:
  • Introduction: who you are and where you are presenting from.
  • Body: minimum and maximum temperatures, cloud cover, precipitation, and wind direction for 5+ SA cities.
  • Video length: not longer than 1 minute.
• Tips: plan a rough script first, use a SA map or a weather-themed backdrop, consider sound effects, speak clearly, and have fun.

UNIT 2: RAINFALL

• Rainfall can be measured daily across different places for a year.
• When you combine rainfall figures from different places, you can determine annual/yearly rainfall for each place.
• Annual rainfall helps identify areas with the most and least rainfall.
• A map shows the usual or typical rainfall across SA each year.

RAINFALL PATTERNS

• Rainfall does not fall every day.
• South Africa's rainfall varies by season; some seasons are wet and some are dry.

ACTIVITY 5

• Use the rainfall map to answer:
  1) When does Cape Town get most of its rain?
  2) When does Johannesburg get most of its rain?
  3) When does Durban get most of its rain?
  4) When does Upington get most of its rain?
  5) When does East London get most of its rain?

UNIT 3: CLIMATE

• Climate describes the average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time.
• Weather vs. climate:
  • Weather describes the conditions on a particular day.
  • Climate describes the general weather patterns over a long time.
• WATCH VIDEO (about climate concepts).

DIFFERENT CLIMATES IN SOUTH AFRICA

• Climate descriptions use words like hot, warm, cool, cold, dry, wet, and humid.
• Examples: Durban has about 1{,}000\ \text{mm} of annual rainfall (wet/humid climate).
• Cape Town receives most of its rain in winter; summers are hot and windy (conditions favorable for kite surfing).
• Upington has a very dry climate with about 180\ \text{mm} of annual rainfall.
• Durban’s climate is hot/humid with year-round moisture; Cape Town’s rain is winter-dominant; Upington is dry.
• Diagrams (Pictures described):
  • Picture 1: Durban – warm winters and hot summers with high humidity.
  • Picture 2: Cape Town – most rain in winter; summers hot and windy, suitable for kite surfing.

FURTHER CLIMATE DETAILS

• Mafikeng: hot summers with thundershowers; mild dry winters.
• Kimberley: hot summers with some rain; winters are cold and dry.
• Takeaway: The two most important parts of climate are temperature and rainfall.

UNIT 4: NATURAL VEGETATION

• Natural vegetation refers to the plants that grow in an area without being planted by people.
• The type of vegetation is influenced by climate and other environmental factors (water, sunlight, and soil).
• There are five main natural vegetation areas in South Africa; a map shows their distribution.

VEGETATION TYPES (as shown on the map)

• Savannah-grasslands: grasses with scattered trees; warm climate; supports grazing animals.
• Grasslands: high-lying areas with few trees; tall grasses; summer rainfall; good grazing.
• Coastal forest: forests near the coast with tall trees; higher humidity and rainfall near the coast.
• Fynbos: shrubby vegetation typical of the Western Cape; adapted to winter rain and dry summers; rich biodiversity.
• Desert and semi-desert: very dry areas with limited plant life; plants are drought-adapted.

PLANTS AND ADAPTATIONS

• Karoo: very dry area with many succulents; few plants grow here.
• Succulents store water in leaves, stems, or roots; example: aloe.
• Protea: a tough plant that needs rain in winter and can survive long, hot summers with strong winds.
• Aloe stores water in its leaves to endure drought.

VEGETATION IN CONTEXT

• Forests grow well where warmth and consistent moisture exist year-round (e.g., Tsitsikamma near Knysna, Eastern Cape – largest natural forest in SA).
• Grasslands occur in high-lying areas with summer rainfall; grasses grow tall and provide grazing for cattle and wildlife.
• Baobab trees (upside-down appearance) grow in areas with wet summers and dry, warm winters; they store water in their trunks and shed leaves in winter to survive droughts.
• Climate and vegetation are closely linked—each vegetation type is adapted to local climate conditions (temperature and rainfall).

KEY TERMS (glossary overview)

• TEMPERATURE – How hot or cold something is.
• CLOUD COVER – The amount of sky covered by clouds.
• RAINFALL – The amount of rain that falls over an area.
• WIND SPEED – How fast or strong the wind is blowing.
• PRECIPITATION – Different forms in which water falls to the ground (rain, snow, hail).
• ANNUAL RAINFALL – Total amount of rain that falls in a place over one year.
• WEATHER – The temperatures, wind, cloud cover and precipitation in an area on a particular day.
• CLIMATE – The average weather conditions for an area over a long period of time.
• HUMID – A hot stickiness caused by a lot of water in the air.
• NATURAL VEGETATION – The grass, plants and trees that grow naturally without being planted.
• SAVANNAH – A type of natural vegetation with grasses, bushes and trees.

REFERENCES

• Ranby, P. (2012). Platium Social Science. Cape Town: Maskew Miller Longman (Pty) Ltd.
• Ranby, P. (2012). Social Sciences Learner's Book 5. Gauteng: Macmillan South Africa (Pty) Ltd.

NOTE

• This summary consolidates all major and minor points from the transcript, including activities, practical measurements, real-world relevance (e.g., climate change discussion), and practical applications (weather forecasting activity, understanding rainfall patterns, and vegetation adaptations).