sciencee

Posted on May 12, 2023 in Social sciences

Climate is the average weather condition in a certain region over a long period of time. One good example is Sahara Desert because it has a hot climate that extend thousand years ago until now.
Weather refers to the general condition of the atmosphere at a particular time and place on a day-to-day basis. One good example is today is sunny, but later this afternoon it rained. Then, it is very windy this evening. So, weather is changing day to day or even hour to hour.
Factors Affecting Climate
  1. Latitude or distance from the equator – Most of the sun’s ray strike vertically in places near the equator. This makes the temperature higher in these areas resulting in warm climate. Places that are not always vertically hit by the sun’s ray experience cold climate.
  2. Altitude (Elevation) or height above sea level – The air temperature decreases as the altitude increases. Places with higher elevations have cold climate. For every 1000 m, there is a drop of 6.5°C. The decrease in air temperature is due to the decrease in air pressure.
  3. Distance from bodies of water – Oceans heat up and cool down much more slowly than land. This means that coastal locations tend to be cooler in summer and warmer in winter than places inland at the same latitude and altitude.
  4. Topography or Mountain Ranges – In windward side, humid air moves up a mountain: cools, water vapor condenses and forms clouds, then precipitates. In leeward side, the air moves down, starts to absorb heat, becomes warm and dry and has less precipitation. The dry region is called rain shadow.
  5. Ocean Currents – The currents that move clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere are caused by Coriolis Effect- (the bending of Earth’s winds and ocean currents due to Earth’s rotation). Cold currents that travel from the poles toward the equator bring along cold water to inland and thus, make the climate cold.
On the other hand, warm currents that flow away from the equator towards the poles, carry warm water to coastal areas make the climate warm.
Factors Affecting Weather
  1. Wind – is the movement of air in the atmosphere.
Wind Vane – is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind
Anemometer – is an instruments that measures wind speed and wind pressure. 
  1. Temperature – it is the degrees of hotness or coldness of a place. We can measure the temperature of a place using thermometer. 
  2. Air Pressure – It is the force caused by the weight of air in the Earth’s surface. It is the force exerted by the air. 
Barometer – an instrument measuring air pressure.
  1. Humidity – it is the amount of water vapor in the air. 
Hygrometer – an instrument for measuring the humidity of the air or a gas.  
  1. Precipitation – it is the water falling from the atmosphere, in the forms of rain, snow, or hail. 
Rain Gauge – a device for collecting and measuring the amount of rain which falls. 
006. Climate Change
Climate change describes
a change in the average conditions
such as temperature and rainfall in
a region over a long period of time.
It was observed by scientists that
Earth’s surface is warming, and
many of the warmest years on
record have happened in the past
20 years. 
  • Earth’s climate has changed throughout history. Scientists thought that during the ice ages, average temperatures were only a few degrees cooler than they are now. It is one of the most current issues worldwide.
  • There are several theories about what may cause natural changes in climate. Human activities also contribute to climate change like burning of fossil fuels, cutting down trees, and releasing chemicals into the air.
The issue of climate change and global warming is not solely a twenty – first century problem that has been brought about by industrialization, which has contributed to the emission of the so-called greenhouse gases such as CO2, CH4, N20, and more others. It is considered as one of the major roles of climate change.
Greenhouse gases are gaseous substances that absorb infrared radiation from the sun and trap the heat in the atmosphere. The increase in temperature that we are experiencing right now is caused by factors other than human activity. Another point of view is that the increase in Earth’s temperature is brought about by human intervention.
Ozone depletion is the gradual thinning of Earth’s ozone layer in the upper atmosphere
caused by the release of chemical compounds containing gaseous Chlorine or Bromine from industry and other human activities. The thinning is most pronounced in the polar regions, especially over Antarctica.
Global warming can bring about a rising of sea level due to the melting of ice caps and glaciers. The use of fossil fuels and other industrial processes has led to a build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Solar radiation warms the Earth as its energy is absorbed by the atmosphere. In the atmosphere, there are greenhouse gases present. These includes water vapor, Carbon dioxide, Methane, and Nitrous oxide. Greenhouse gases prevent heat from escaping the Earth thus making earth’s temperature higher.
  • Greenhouse effect happens when greenhouse gases such as Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and Nitrous oxide (N2O) trap heat preventing it from escaping the Earth. This will result in the increase of global temperature.
  • Burning of fossil fuels is one of the main sources of Carbon dioxide emission. The outcome of too much Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would be an increase of global temperature. In a global scale, electricity and heat production sector accounts the largest percentage of greenhouse gas emissions.
  • A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (including Carbon dioxide and Methane) that are generated by our actions. Many experts say that human activity is the reason why climate change happens.
The Philippines is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. And with a growing population that needs vital resources to sustain growth, climate
change poses a threat to our development gains and our way of life, leaving us more vulnerable to food insecurity, environmental degradation, climate disasters and conflict.
Aside from all of these, we are also experiencing El Niño which is the abnormal and lengthy warming in the Eastern part of the Pacific Ocean. This occurs at irregular interval of two to seven years and lasts for nine months or two years. It will most likely bring not enough rain leads to water shortages or severe drought and makes it hard to grow food.
On the other hand, La Niña is the opposite phenomenon. It may last for nine to twelve months but in some cases, it lasts for two years. This event is triggered by the cooling of the Eastern part of Pacific Ocean. Trade winds that move from East to West are strengthened. There would be an increase rainfall in some areas. Too much rain can cause an area to fill up with water.
CAUSES OF GLOBAL WARMING: 
  • Burning of Fossil Fuels
  • Greenhouse Effect
  • Intensive Farming to Produce Crops & Livestock Raising
  • Deforestation
  • Human Activities
  • Using transportation
GREENHOUSE GASSES:
  • Methane
  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Nitrous Oxide
  • Chlorofluorocarbon
PREVENTION OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Walk, cycle or take public transport
Reduce, reuse, repair & recycle
 PLANT TREES
 UNPLUG ANYTHING THAT DOESN’T NEED TO BE PLUGGED IN
SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
Use energy wisely — and save money too!
Support Indigenous-led climate action