SCIENCE - Chapter 2: Climate

study of atmosphere and atmosphere phenoma including weather and climate

• expert or student of meteorology or a weather forecaster

• uses scientific principles to observe, explain and forecast our weather

4 Metorological Scales

• short-lived atmosphere phenomena >1km

• short life spans (less than a day)

• study the processes that occur between sol, vegetation, surface water

• small or local

Example:

Features of Clouds

Tornado

• studies phenomena like thunderstorms, windstorms, land and sea breeze

• range size from a few km to roughly 1000 km

• medium or regional

Example:

• Large thunderstorms

• weather fronts

• Large or national and continental

• large scale or cyclonic scale

• high and low pressure systems on local weather forecasts

• 100s to 1000s km

• up to a month

Ex:

High and low pressure areas

Tropical Cyclones (Hurricanes and Typhoons)

Extratropical Cyclones

• Largest or global

• weather patterns related to the transport of heat wind and moisture from the tropics to the poles

• 40,075 km by equator

• months and years

Ex:

Global Winds

Trade winds and monsoons

El Nino and El Nina

Westerlies

____________ and __________ describes the condition of the atmosphere

• short term condition of the atmosphere

• mostly happens in the troposphere

• average weather of an area over a long period of time

• long term average condition of atmosphere of a location

Factors Affecting the Weather

Scientific Study of Climate

Factors Affecting Climate

• imaginary lines

• east-west location/direction across earth

5 lines of latitude

Different parts of the earth receive different amounts of solar radiation because earth is tilted on its axis

• height of an area above sea level

• as altitude increases, temp increases

• temp decreases 6.5 Celsius for every 1 km increase in altitude

Elevation: 1500 KM

Annual Average temp: 16 Celsius

• when the sun’s heat reaches earth, it heats up both bodies of land and water

• areas nearby bodies of water have more moderate climate ranges and higher average precipitation

• the rotation of the earth is west to east

• Northern Hemisphere - clockwise

• Southern Hemisphere - Counter Clockwise

• Rotation is affected by the rotation of the earth in its axis

• ocean currents that flow away from the equator carry warm water

• air above warm water has high temp also

• apparent deflection of objects moving in a straight path relativ to the earths surface

• Named by French mathematician Gaspard Gustave de Coriolis

• contains greenhouse gases that are found in the atmosphere such as CO2 (Carbon Dioxide), CH4 (Methane), H2O (Water Vapour)

• solar energy is reflected back to space and some are trapped

• warming of the earth because of trapped greenhouse gases

• keep our planet warm and is essential for life

• absorbs energy by trapping it in the atmosphere

• too much may cause global warming

• higher greenhouse gases, more radiation is absorbed which causes a rise in the temp of the earth

Earths temp will be -18 Celsius if theres no greenhouse effect

Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the PH

Major Causes of Greenhouse Effect

• scientists capture atmospheric carbon dioxide and store it underground

Top 10 Countries that emit the most CO2

• 196 Parties/countries attended

• Dec 12 2015

• Goal is to hold the increasing of the global ave. temp to well below 2 Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts the limit the temp increase to 15 Celsius above pre-industrial lvls

• rise of the temp on earth

• increase of magnitude of the greenhouse effect

• leads to a rapid change in climate (climate change)

• change in the ave. temp and cycles of weather over a long period of time

• since 1880 (industrialization), scientists have kept thermometer based records of the global surface temp

• the planet is becoming warmer the climate is changing

• mitigation, adaptation, future risks

• policy makers

What causes climate change

Climate change is damaging environments across our planets:

Ways to prevent climate change

• supreme decision making body of the convention

• review national communications and emmision inventories submitted by parties

the countries who have contributed the least to the climate crisis are the ones who are affected the most

patterns in the pacific ocean

moves from east to west along the equator

transition layer between warmer mixed water at ocean surface and cooler deep water below

upwelling of colder water is blocked by the large quantities of warm surface water in WPO

Cold water is rich in nutrients

• climate phenomena on earth due to its ability to change the global atmospheric circulation, which in turn, influences temp and precipitation across the globe

• occurs during the xmas season (dec to feb)

• trade winds that move from East to West are weakened

• climate pattern that describes the unusual warming of surface waters in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

• unusual heavy rainfall and low temp

• trade winds that move from E to W are strengthened

• triggered by the cooling of the eastern part of the pacific ocean

Difference of La Nina and El Nino