Climate Cycles

Long-term cycles – weather and climate have many cycles. In most areas on Earth,
temperature increase during the day and decrease at night. Each year, the air is warmer
during summer and colder during weather. But climate also changes in cycle that take
much longer than a lifetime to complete.
Scientists use the information to compare present-day climates to those that occurred
many thousand of years ago.
Ice Ages – cold periods lasting from hundreds to millions of years when glaciers cover
much of Earth.
Interglacials – the warm periods that occur during ice ages or between ice ages.
Most recent ice age began about 2 million years ago. Ice sheets reached maximum size
about 20,000 years ago. Half the northern hemisphere was covered by ice. 10,000 years
ago, earth entered its current interglacial period called Holocene Epoch.
The period between 950 to 1100 was one of the warmest in Europe. Little ice age lasted
from 1250 to about 1850. Period of bitterly cold temperature.
As the amount of solar energy reaching earth changes, earth’s climate also changes. The
shape of Earth’s orbit appears to vary between elliptical and circular over the course of
about 100,000 years. When earth’s orbit is more circular, earth averages a greater
distance from the sun. results in below-average temperature on Earth.
Influences climate change on earth is changes in the tilt of Earth’s axis. Tilt of axis
changes in 40,000-year cycles. Changes in the angle of earth’s tilt effect the range of
temperatures throughout the year. Long-term climate cycles are also influenced by the
slow movement of earth’s continents, as well as changes in ocean circulation.
Seasonal changes and changes the result from the interaction between the ocean and the
atmosphere are some examples of short-term climate change.
When the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, there are more daylight hours than
dark hours. Also, temperatures are warmer. Northern hemisphere receives more direct
solar energy and experiences summer. The southern hemisphere receives less overall
solar energy and experiences winter.
6 months later, the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun. Daylight hours are
fewer than night time and temperatures are colder. Indirect solar energy reaches the
northern hemisphere, resulting in winters. Southern hemisphere receives more direct solar
energy and experiences summer.
Solstices and equinoxes
Earth revolves around the sun once about every 365 days. During Earth’s
revolution, there are four days that mark the beginning of each of the seasons.
These seasons are summer, solstice, fall equinox, winter equinox, and a spring
equinox.
Solstices mark the beginnings of summer and winter. In Northern hemisphere, the
summer solstice occurs on June 21 or 22. On the same day, the northern
hemisphere, is tilted toward the sun (start of summer). In the southern hemisphere,
this day marks the beginning of winter. Winter solstice begins on December 21 or
22. On this day, northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun. in the southern
hemisphere marks the beginning of summer.
Equinoxes, are days when Earth is positioned so that neither the northern nor the
southern hemisphere is tilted toward or away from the sun. Equinoxes are start of
spring and fall.
Equinox days – number of daylight hours almost equals the number of night time
hour everywhere on earth.
In the northern hemisphere the spring equinox occurs on March 21 or 22 and on
the same day, it is the beginning of fall un the southern hemisphere. On September
22 or 23 fall begins in the northern hemisphere and spring starts on the southern
hemisphere.

El niño and the southern oscillation

The trade wind blows from east to west. These steady winds push warm surface water in
the Pacific Ocean away from the western coast of South America. This is called
upwelling.
Upwelling – water cools and upwelling.
On the other side of the Pacific Ocean, air rises over warm, equatorial waters, creating a
low-pressure area. This difference in air pressures across the Pacific Ocean helps keep the
trade winds blowing. Sometimes, the trade winds weaken, reversing the normal pattern of
high and low pressures across the Pacific Ocean.
Warm water surges back toward south America, preventing cold water from upwelling.
This phenomenon called El niño, show connection between the atmosphere and the
ocean.
If it’s El Niño in the Philippines, rainy season is delayed or terminated early.
The combined ocean and atmospheric cycle that results in weakened trade winds across
the Pacific Ocean is called El Niño/Southern Oscillation or ENSO.
Complete ENSO cycle occurs every 3-8 years. The other one is NAO (North Atlantic
Oscillation) another cycle that can change the climate for decades at a time.
NAO affects the strength of storms throughout North America and Europe by changing
the position of the jet stream.
Monsoons – is a wind circulation pattern that changes direction with the season.
During summer, warm air over land rises and creates low pressure. Cooler, Havier air
sinks over the water, creating high pressure. The winds blow from the water toward the
land, bringing heavy rainfall.
During winter, the pattern reverses and winds blow from the land toward the water.
Summer (southwest) monsoon in the Philippines is locally known as habagat.
Habagat – strong breeze that brings significant amount of rainfall which can cause severe
flooding. Predominant in the country from late April through early October each year.
Winter (northeast) monsoon or locally known as amihan, which is generally a less
strong breeze that is cool and dry. Prolonged periods of successive cloudless day.
Usually starts in late September and early October through the following April.
Drought – period with below-average precipitation. Can cause crop damage and
water shortages.