WEATHER CLIMATE

Tells you what you wear each day Tells you what
types of clothes
in your closet
 What exactly is climate?
Whereas weather refers to short-term changes in the
atmosphere, climate
describes what the weather is like over a
long period of time in a specific area.

Are regional climates different from global climates?

Different regions of the world have varying climates. But, we can also
describe the climate of an entire planet —referred to as the
global climate.
Overall, global climate depends on the amount of energy
received by the sun and the amount of energy that is trapped
in the system.

TYPES OF CLIMATE REGIONS

Global climates are often divided into five types:
tropical, dry, temperate,
 continental and polar.

These climate divisions take a variety of factors into consideration, including altitude,
pressure, wind patterns, latitude and geographical characteristics, such as mountains and
oceans.
The five climate division is known as the Koppen Climate
Classification System, named after founder Wladimir Koppen.
The tropical zone includes the
Amazon Basin of Brazil, West Africa's Congo
Basin and the rainforests of Malaysia and
Indonesia. Large areas of South America, Africa
and Asia, located between the Tropics of
Cancer and Capricorn, have a tropical climate.
TROPICAL REGIONS
The general pattern of the tropical climate
is warm temperatures.
Humidity is variable with
Equatorial climates experiencing large
quantities
of precipitation all year round
and Tropical Wet and Dry and
Tropical Monsoon climates expereincing
seasonal shifts in rain patterns.
TEMPERATE REGIONS
Temperate regions are also known as mesotherm
middle latitude climates. The climate of this zo
moderate. This means that it is neither very hot no
cold as this zone is away from the equator as well as fro
the poles.
TWO (2) TYPES moist-subtropical climates-
located near large bodies of water. Found at lower
latitudes within the temperate zone. The winters
are cool but relatively mild and summers are
warm, wet and stormy. The Southeast region of
the U.S. falls in this zone, as well as large portions
of China, Brazil and Argentina.
moist-continental climate zones have cold, snowy
winters with strong wind. Summer here is cooler
than in the subtropical zones. Continental Temperature: Abundant sunshine.
climates are located at the higher latitudes within Summer temperatures are high; winters are
the temperate zone and are closer to the poles cooler and longer than Tropical Moist climates
than the subtropical climates. The Midwest region
of the U.S, southern Canada and central Europe
Rainfall: Irregular; several years of drought are
are classified in this climate zone.
often followed by a
 DRY REGION Fahrenheit during the day, but may drop to 100
These climate zones are so dry because moisture degrees or less at night.
is rapidly evaporated from the air and there is
very little precipitation. Dry regions are divided into semi-arid and arid
zones. Dry climate zones cover about 26 percent
They are also marked by large ranges in daily of the world’s land
temperatures. In the desert, for example, area.
temperatures can reach over 120 degrees
single year of abundant rainfall
Arid Desert
Low-latitude, arid deserts are found between 15º to 30º N and S
latitudes. This is where warm dry air sinks at high pressure zones. True
deserts make up around 12 percent of the world’s lands.
The typical weather is extremely hot summer days and cold winter nights. Although annual rainfall is less than 25
cm (10 inches), rain falls during two seasons. Pacific storms bring winter rains and monsoons bring summer rains.

Semi-Arid or Steppe
Higher latitude semi-arid deserts, also called steppe, are found in
continental interiors or in rainshadows. Semi-arid deserts receive
between 20 and 40 cm (8 to 16 inches) of rain annually. The
annual temperature range is large.

CONTINENTAL REGIONS
Continental climates exist where cold air masses
infiltrate during the winter and warm air masses
form in summer under conditions of high sun and
long days. Places with continental climates are as a
rule are either far from any moderating effect of
oceans or are so situated that prevailing winds tend
to head offshore.
Regions of the world that experience continental climate includes much of North America,
Central Russia, and Siberia. Canada, Siberia, and northern states of the United States in
particular exhibit large differences in wintertime and summertime average temperature of up
to 40 degrees Celsius.
POLAR REGIONS Polar Climate Zone Polar zones are located at
Polar regions are characterized by a lack of the north pole and the south pole. The Arctic
a true summer. The warmest temperatures and Antarctica are similar places at opposite
are around 50 degrees Fahrenheit and ends of the Earth they are both very cold with

these are short-lived. Large blocks of lots of snow and ice.

permanent ice and tundra are what make

these regions distinctive. Polar climate
regions usually only have four months of
temperatures above freezing. They also
tend to have months of little daylight.
References:
https://sciencing.com/different-kinds-land-called-8533115.html
https://scijinks.gov/climate-zones/ https://www.weather.gov/jetstream/climates
https://slidetodoc.com/weather-climate-by-spencer-christian-anddariel-polar/
https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Inter_Tropical_Convergence_Zone
_(ITCZ)
https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/philippines-inter-tropicalconvergence-zone-itcz-im
ago-mundi/LwIC_LeNHFhAKw?hl=en

INTER-TROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE (ITCZ)

Inter-tropical convergence zone, also called equatorial convergence zone,
belt of converging trade winds and rising air that encircles the Earth near
the Equator.

It is characterised by convective activity which generates often vigorous

thunderstorms over large areas.
What causes ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone)?

it is caused by the convergence of northeast and southeast trade winds in the area
encircling Earth near the Equator. For better understanding, we must know about the
trade winds and air masses.

1. Trade Winds: Easterly winds that circle the Earth near the equator.
2. Air Masses: A volume of air defined by its temperature and water vapour content. In
tropical latitudes this air mass is hot to very hot, with high relative humidity, bringing
unstable weather.

It appears as a band of clouds consisting of showers, with occasional thunderstorms, that

encircles the globe near the equator due to the convergence of the trade winds.

Two (2) types of air masses

1. Tropical maritime - Originates in tropical latitudes over the atlantic ocean. Brings
warm, moist, unstable air. It is moist because it travels across the ocean, picking up
moisture as it moves. Since it originates in the tropical latitudes, it brings hot/ very hot
conditions.

2. Tropical continental- Originates over the land. It brings warm, dry, stable conditions
as it travels over land as opposed to water.
In both summer and winter, it brings hot/warm and dry conditions.
Where these two air masses
meet, they form the
Inter-Tropical
Convergence Zone (ITCZ)

What are the impacts of ITCZ on

weather?

1. It affects rainfall in equatorial region due to the variation of location resulting in

the wet and dry seasons of the tropics rather than the cold and warm seasons of
higher latitudes.

2. It creates low pressure areas of convection rainfall that are embyronic hurricanes

3. It warms the ocean which provides the hot waterfuel that allows low pressure
areas to mature into full hurricanes.
4. Longer term changes resulted severe droughts or flooding.

Impact of ITCZ in the Philippines

The ITCZ (Intertropical convergence zone) also plays a huge role in affecting the
climates of the Philippines. PH only have two seasons, which are the dry and wet
seasons due to the movement of the ITCZ. The trade winds of two hemispheres (North
and South) collide which causes erratic weather patterns with stagnant calms.

Because of this, PH is vulnerable

to calamities and
experiences extreme
weather patterns such as
moderate to heavy typhoons as
well as intense droughts.
The greenhouse effect is a
process that occurs when gases in Earth's atmosphere trap the Sun's heat.
It's like this..
In the daytime, sunlight shines into the
greenhouse and warms the plants and air
inside. At nighttime, it's colder outside, but
the greenhouse stays pretty warm
inside.

That's because the glass walls of the

greenhouse trap the Sun's heat to keep the
plants alive.
In the same way, the earth's surface warms up in the sunlight in the
morning. At night, Earth's surface cools, releasing heat back into the air.
 However, some of the heat is
trapped by the green house gases
in the atmosphere.

That's what keeps our Earth a

warm, cozy and livable.

There are 4 main

greenhouse gases:

Carbon dioxide
Methane

Nitrous oxide

Hydroflourocarbons
Carbon dioxide- enters the atmosphere through burning
fossil fuels. coal, natural gas, and oil), solid waste, trees and
other biological materials. (Ex. All factory produced
itemsitems from malls, online shops and groceries)
Methane- emitted during the
production and transport of coal,
natural gas, and oil.

Methane emissions also result

from livestock (animal waste) and
other agricultural practices.
Nitrogen oxide
Produced when fertilizer soaks into the soil or water. This is commonly
produced in agricultural farms. Fertilizers are used in grasslands to feed
hundreds of livestock to meet the meat demands of humans all over the
world.
This is also the reason why some groups are advocating a vegan lifestyle. Meat
agriculture produces huge amount of nitrous oxide each year.

Hydro Flouro Carbons

HFCs are a group of man-made chemicals containing the
elements carbon, hydrogen and fluorine.
 Greenhouse gases
play an important
role in keeping the
planet warm enough
to inhabit.

But the amount of these

gases in our atmosphere skyrocketed in the recent decades.

This causes the global warming, the main symptom of climate change.

The mechanics of the earth’s climate system are simple.

 When energy from the sun is reflected off the earth and back into space, or when
the earth’s atmosphere releases energy, the planet cools.

When the earth absorbs the sun’s energy, or when atmospheric gases prevent
heat released by the earth from radiating into space (the greenhouse effect), the
planet warms.

A variety of factors, both natural and human, can influence the earth’s climate
system.

Natural causes of climate change

Forces that contribute to climate change include
the sun’s intensity, volcanic eruptions, and
changes in naturally occurring greenhouse gas concentrations.

But records indicate that today’s climatic warming—is occurring much

faster than ever before and can’t be explained by natural causes alone.
According to NASA, “These natural causes are still in play today, but their
influence is too small or they occur too slowly to explain the rapid warming seen
in recent decades.”
Anthropogenic causes of climate change

Humans—more specifically, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

we generate—are the leading cause of the earth’s rapidly changing climate.
Concentrations of carbon dioxide,
methane, and nitrous oxides have increased
to levels unprecedented in at least the last
800,000 years.” Indeed, the atmosphere’s
share of carbon dioxide—has risen by 40 percent since preindustrial times.
The effects of global climate change

The failure to mitigate and adapt to climate change will be “the most
impactful risk” facing communities worldwide in the coming decade—

Extreme weather
Dirty air
Health risks
Rising seas
Warmer, more acidic oceans
Imperiled ecosystems
 Climate Change IMPACT in the PHILIPPINES

Over the past decades, typhoons in the Philippines are becoming more intense
due to climate change. The strong super typhoons are a big threat towards the
citizens in the Philippines, as they are living in high risk areas due to it.

The Philippines has suffered from an

inexhaustible number of deadly typhoons,
this is due to its position near the
equator, as well as how the country is in a
weather pathway known as the
“Typhoon Belt''.
Typhoons in the Philippines
There is strong scientific consensus that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are
causing climate change and how it’s contributing to stronger typhoons.
Higher sea surface temperatures and higher subsurface sea temperatures, removes the
natural buffer on typhoon strength.

These stronger typhoons carry more

moisture, track differently, move faster
and will be aggravated by sea level rise,
this is one of the most certain
consequences of climate change.

The Philippines, dubbed as one of the

world’s most typhoon impacted places.
Will be one of the most vulnerable countries.
Typhoons in the Philippines
The effects of typhoons on citizens in the Philippines are countless. The country is
vulnerable to typhoons, especially at how the intensity is increasing due to climate
change. The most recent typhoon the Philippines experienced is called the Typhoon
Goni.
 Typhoon Goni was the strongest
typhoon of 2020 that barrelled
through the south of the
Philippines' main island of Luzon.
Typhoon Goni is one of the
strongest storms to hit the
Philippines since 2013's Haiyan,
which killed more than 6,300
people.
Drought in Philippines
Another effect of global warming in the Philippines is the drought. 42 percent of the
Philippines is currently experiencing drought or dry spells brought on by the El Niño
effect. The worst affected areas in the Philippines are Mindanao and the Visayas
regions.

Droughts not only exacerbate poverty,

inequality, and food insecurity, it also
heightens the risk of conflict. As people will
find themselves competing for increasingly scarce land and water resources. Other
potential impacts include human health problems due to limited and poor water
quality and public safety threat by increasing forest and range fires.
Response to climate change
The government of the Philippines hasn’t announced or implemented ways to adapt to
the increased frequency or intensity of the typhoons yet.

However, the Philippines will need a government that will look at climate change as a
social, environmental, political, and economic issue, and they will need a government
that will take a rightsbased approach on how to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Some measures that can be put in place include investing in the buildings back better
after a typhoon in order to prepare for a stronger typhoon that can occur anytime
soon, making sure that infrastructure, buildings, roads, bridges, hospitals, etc are built
back in a stronger, safer state.