SCIENCE 9

Quarter 3- Module 6
FACTORS AFFECTING
CLIMATE
(DISTANCE FROM BODIES OF WATER AND OCEAN CURRENTS )

PREPARED BY: MS. JAPHETH C. ENRIQUEZ

OBJECTIVE:

• EXPLAIN HOW DIFFERENT FACTORS

AFFECT THE CLIMATE OF AN AREA
(S9ES-IIIE-3O).
 A. DISTANCE FROM BODIES OF WATER

• The climate of an area can be affected by the surrounding bodies of water.

It is just like when we observed the temperature of sand/soil and water of
same volume under the heat of the sun , you just discovered that soil
absorbs heat faster as compared to water.
• At the same time, soil releases heat faster as compared to water. It is
because water is a slow conductor of heat; thus, it needs to gain more
energy than the sand or dry land in order for its temperature to increase.
 PLACES THAT ARE NEAR THE OCEANS HAVE A MODERATE
CLIMATE AS THE BODY OF WATER REGULATES THE
TEMPERATURE.

• Because soil heats up faster than water, the air temperature

above the sea is lower than above the ground during day
time.
• Warm air thus moves out from land to sea, slowing down the
rise of air temperature above land. Thus, places without a
body of water nearby tend to have higher air temperature
during day time.
At night, soil cools down faster than water, so the air
temperature above ground is lower than that above the sea.
Warm air then flows from sea to land, so the drop in air
temperature above ground is moderated.

Places that are far from bodies of water have extreme

climates, as there are no immediate bodies of water that will
help circulate the movement of cold and warm air.
Water absorbs more heat during summer. This is why during summer, areas near a body of
water stay cooler with moderate temperatures. In winter, the surrounding water slowly
releases heat, causing the cooling effect to become lesser than normal in the nearby
landmass.

The Palawan coastal areas

Source: 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Nido,_Palawan
Source: 2.https://www.britannica.com/place/Palawan-island-Philippines
 B. OCEAN CURRENTS

Figure 1. Map of ocean currents of the world.

http://www.johomaps.com/world/world_current.html(Legend: Red arrow represents warm ocean current
and blue arrow represents cold ocean current
• OCEAN WATER IS CONSTANTLY MOVING. FROM NORTH TO
SOUTH, EAST TO WEST, AND UP AND DOWN THE SHORE,
OCEAN WATER MOVES ALL OVER THE PLACE.

• THESE MOVEMENTS RESULT FROM MANY SEPARATE

FORCES, INCLUDING LOCAL CONDITIONS OF WIND, WATER,
THE POSITION OF THE MOON AND SUN, THE ROTATION OF
THE EARTH, AND THE POSITION OF LAND FORMATIONS.
 The wind that blows over the ocean water creates waves. It also
creates surface currents, which are horizontal streams of water
that can flow for thousands of kilometers and can reach depths
of hundreds of meters.

Surface currents are an important factor in the ocean because

they are a major factor in determining climate around the
globe.
 The coriolis effect causes winds and currents to form circular
patterns. The direction that they spin depends on the hemisphere
that they are in.
 Currents on the surface are determined by three
major factors:

• the major overall global wind patterns

• the rotation of the earth
• and the shape of ocean basins
 AS AN ANALOGY,

• JUST LIKE THE WAVES THAT WIND FORMS ON THE OCEAN SURFACE. THE
MOVEMENT OF HOT CHOCOLATE THROUGHOUT THE CUP FORMS A STREAM
OR CURRENT, JUST AS OCEANIC WATER MOVES WHEN THE WIND BLOWS
ACROSS IT.
• BECAUSE THE EARTH'S EQUATOR IS WARMED BY THE
MOST DIRECT RAYS OF THE SUN, AIR AT THE EQUATOR
IS HOTTER THAN AIR FURTHER NORTH OR SOUTH. THIS
HOTTER AIR RISES UP AT THE EQUATOR, AND AS
COLDER AIR MOVES IN TO TAKE ITS PLACE, WINDS
BEGIN TO BLOW AND PUSH THE OCEAN INTO WAVES
AND CURRENTS.
• FROM THE EQUATOR, WARM WATER PUSHES OUTWARD TO
THE NORTH AND SOUTH POLES. AT THE SAME TIME, COLD
WATER FROM THE NORTH AND SOUTH POLES COLLIDE WITH
THIS WARM WATER. BECAUSE EARTH SPINS ON ITS AXIS,
WATER FLOWS IN A CIRCULAR PATTERN.

• THIS CAUSES CURRENTS TO FLOW CLOCKWISE IN THE NORTHERN

HEMISPHERE AND COUNTERCLOCKWISE IN THE SOUTHERN
HEMISPHERE. THESE CLOCKWISE AND COUNTERCLOCKWISE

MOVEMENTS OF OCEAN CURRENTS ARE CAUSED BY THE CORIOLIS

EFFECT.
• The air above the warm water has a higher temperature. When
warm ocean currents that take along warm water go to a land
mass, the temperature of that place increases as warmer air
above the water flows inland, resulting in a warm climate.

• In a similar manner, cold ocean currents that bring cold water as

they move towards a coastal region cause the temperature of that
area to decrease as warmer air from the land flows to the sea
resulting in a cold climate.
• THE THIRD MAJOR FACTOR THAT DETERMINES THE DIRECTION OF
SURFACE CURRENTS IS THE SHAPE OF OCEAN BASINS.

• WHEN A SURFACE CURRENT COLLIDES WITH LAND, IT CHANGES THE

DIRECTION OF THE CURRENTS, MUCH LIKE PUSHING THE WATER IN
A TUB TOWARDS THE END OF THE TUB.

• WHEN THE WATER REACHES THE EDGE, IT HAS TO CHANGE

DIRECTION.
YOU CAN NOW ANSWER THE
ASSESSMENT PART..