Teacher I, Science Buhatan NHS; Sorsogon City What is Climate? Climate is the average weather in a particular region over a fairly long period of time.
Climate are affected by four factors:
1. Latitude 2. Altitude 3. Distance from bodies of water 4. Ocean currents 5. Topography What factors affect the average temperature in a given place? 1. The amount of solar radiation received from the sun is determined by two factors: (a) the angle at which the sun’s rays strike the earth, and (b) the length of time in which the sun shines during a particular day. In turn, these two depend on the latitude of a particular place (the latitude of an area is its distance from the equator). Direct rays of the sun deliver more heat than slanted rays. Regions near the equator (low latitude) receive direct rays of the sun throughout the year and therefore have higher average temperature compared to regions near the poles (high latitude), which receive slanted rays. Also, the days and nights near the equator are almost equal in length while near the poles, the length of days and nights varies with the season. Toward the pole, the nights are long in winter while in summer, daylights are long. Thus, the lower the latitude, the warmer the climate; the higher the latitude, the colder the climate. 2. The altitude (height above sea level) of a place also determines its climate. Even places near the equator experiences a cold climate if they are located at a high altitude compared to those located at sea level. Example, Baguio City has lower average temperature and colder climate than the surrounding area because of its high altitude. 3. The presence of land and water masses affect the climate of a place. Since land surfaces heat and cool faster than water surfaces, land regions experience hotter summers and colder winters compared to sea regions in the same latitude. 4. Mountains and plains determine how distant winds affect the climate of a region. The direction of prevailing winds can cause cool summer and mild winters along the sea coast. What factors affect the average rainfall in a given place? 1. Like temperature, rainfall is also affected by latitude. Regions where warm, moist wind rise such as in the doldrums (area north of equator; an area with no wind or light variable winds just north of the equator in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, situated between the trade winds) have heavy rains throughout the year. Regions in the traders and low latitude are mostly dry while those in the prevailing easterlies have moderate rainfall all year. 2. Seasonal winds, called monsoons may bring rainy weather during some months and dry weather in other months. NORTHEAST MONSOON (AMIHAN) SOUTHEAST MONSOON (HABAGAT) December to January July to September 3. Mountains affect the amount of rainfall a given region will get. When warm moist wind strike the windward side of a mountain and rise, there will be much rainfall on that side. The opposite side will have correspondingly little rain (leeward). 4. When winds blow in from the ocean, the region nearest the ocean gets the most rainfall. The warmer the ocean, the heavier the rainfall. These climates are located within 30° above and below the equator. Here, the sun is nearly always overhead at noon. Tropical climates are therefore the warmest all the year. In the belt of the doldrums, rain is abundant all year. The climates included in this area are (1) tropical rain forest, (2) savannah, (3) tropical desert and (4) tropical steep These climates are located between 30° and 65° latitude. There us a wide range of temperatures with at least one month where the average temperature is 10°C or higher. A variety of weather is produced because it is in the belt of the westerlies. The middle-latitude climates are (1) mediterranean, (2) humid subtropical, (3) marine west coast, (4) humid continental, (5) dry continental and (6) subartic. Close to the poles the sun is not seen during the winter during the winter for as long as six months. In summary, the sun’s rays that reach it are greatly slanted and therefore have less heat. This region has less precipitation. The climates are (1) tundra and (2) ice cap Two pronounced seasons: dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year. The regions located on the western part of Luzon, Mindoro, Negros and Palawan. No dry season; with a very pronounced maximum rain period from November to April. Regions that have type II climate are Catanduanes, Sorsogon, eastern Albay, eastern and northern Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur, eastern Mindanao, eastern Quezon and Samar. Seasons are not very pronounced; relatively dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year. The regions with this type of climate are the western parts of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, the eastern portion of the Mountain Provinces, Southern Quezon, Masbate, Romblon, Northeast Panay, EasternNegros, Central and Southern Cebu, part of Northern Mindanao, and part of Eastern Palawan. Rainfall more or less evenly distributed throughout the year. The regions with this type of climate are Batanes, North-eastern Luzon, South-western Camarines Norte, Western Camarines Sur and Albay, Bondoc Peninsula, Eastern Mindoro, Marinduque, Western Leyte, Northen Cebu, Bohol and most of central, eastern and southern Mindanao. What are the prevailing wind systems over the Philippines Land and water surfaces differ in their rate of cooling. Land heats and cools more rapidly than water. This particularly evident in extensive surfaces. Continents heat and cool faster than oceans. As a result, a center of low pressure develops over the continent while high pressure develops over the adjacent ocean. These difference in temperature and pressure between continents and oceans brought about by changes in the seasons develop wind system known as seasonal winds or monsoons. In summer, the land is heated more than the ocean so the cooler air from the ocean moves toward the land. In winter, the land gets colder than the ocean so the cooler air from the land moves toward the ocean. What are the prevailing wind systems or monsoons in the Philippines? In the Northern Hemisphere, a high pressure area develops over India and Southern Siberia in winter because of the colder air over them. The mass of cold air then moves toward the Pacific Ocean. It reaches the Philippines from a north-easterly direction and the air mass is called the Northeast Monsoon (Amihan) for that reason. This prevails the cold morning experienced in the country from December to Febraury. NORTHEAST MONSOON (AMIHAN) December to January During summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the Asian continent becomes warmer than the oceans surrounding it. A cold air mass develops over the Pacific Ocean and begins to move toward the Asian continent. This forms the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) which prevails over the Philippines in the months of July, August and September. SOUTHEAST MONSOON (HABAGAT) July to September The trade winds, which are the prevailing winds in the tropics likewise affect the Philippines during the rest of the year and whenever the Northeast Monsoon and Southwest Monsoon weaken. Basics of Geography: Climate (Shows a simple explanation about climate through animation) http://youtu.be/95TtXYjOEv4 Five Factors that Affect Climate http://youtu.be/E7DLLxrrBV8?list=PLEDBEF577E57 EE176