Science 3 – Meteorology

Module 1 –Climate

I. OBJECTIVES
At the end of this module, students should be able to:
a. Define climate and climate change;
b. Identify the types of climates and weather; and
c. Distinguish the difference between climate and weather.

II. REFERENCES
 https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/climate/climate-explained/what-is-climate
 https://www.britannica.com/science/climate-meteorology
 https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/all-about-climate/
 https://scijinks.gov/climate-zones/

III. LESSON PROPER

Climate Definition

Climate is the general weather over a long period. This can include rainfall,
temperature, snow or any other weather condition. We usually define a region’s climate
over a period of 30 years. This includes the average temperature in different seasons,
rainfall, and sunshine.
For example, hot regions are normally closest to the equator. The climate is hotter
there because the Sun’s light is most directly overhead at the equator. And the North and
South Poles are cold because the Sun’s light and heat are least direct there.

Köppen Climate Classification System

Wladimir Köppen, a German botanist and climatologist, first developed this system at
the end of the 19th century, basing it on the earlier biome research conducted by scientists.
These scientists learned that vegetation and climate are intricately linked. The vegetation that
grows in a region is dependent on the temperature and precipitation there, which are two key
factors of climate. Areas with more rainfall and higher temperatures contain more forests while
regions with less rainfall tend to be deserts. The Köppen climate classification system has been
enhanced and modified several times since it was first published.

Types of Climates
Using this information, in the late 1800s and early 1900s a German climate scientist
named Wladimir Koppen divided the world's climates into categories. His categories were based
on the temperature, the amount of precipitation, and the times of year when precipitation occurs.
The categories were also influenced by a region’s latitude—the imaginary lines used to measure
our Earth from north to south from the equator.
A. Tropical
Is hot and humid zone, the average temperatures are greater than 64°F (18°C) year- round
and there is more than 59 inches of precipitation each year. There are three climate types
in the tropical group: tropical wet; tropical monsoon; and tropical wet and dry.

Tropical Wet: Rainforests

Places with a tropical wet climate are also known as rainforests. These equatorial
regions have the most predictable weather on Earth, with warm temperatures and regular
rainfall.

Tropical Monsoon
. Tropical monsoon climates are most found in southern Asia and West Africa. A
monsoon is a wind system that reverses its direction every six months. Monsoons usually
flow from sea to land in the summer, and from land to sea in the winter.
Tropical Wet and Dry: Savanna
Tropical wet and dry climates are sometimes called “savanna” climates after the
grassland ecosystem defined by wet and dry periods.
Tropical wet and dry climates sit just outside the ITCZ, near the Equator. They have three
seasons. One season is cool and dry—when the warm, moist ITCZ is in the opposite hemisphere.
Another season is hot and dry as the ITCZ approaches. The last season is hot and wet as the
ITCZ arrives and the region experiences months as a tropical wet climate.

B. Dry
These climate zones are so dry because moisture is rapidly evaporated from the air and
there is very little precipitation. Most arid climates receive 10 to 30 centimeters (four to 12
inches) of rain each year, and semiarid climates receive enough to support extensive grasslands.
Arid and semiarid climates can occur where the movement of warm, moist air is blocked
by mountains. Denver, Colorado, just east of the U.S. section of the Rocky Mountains, has this
type of dry climate, known as a “rain shadow.”

C. Temperate
In this zone, there are typically warm and humid summers with thunderstorms and mild
winters. Both climate types have distinct cold seasons. In these parts of the world, climate
is influenced mostly by latitude and a region’s position on the continent.
 Mediterranean

Mediterranean climates have warm summers and short, mild, rainy winters.
Mediterranean climates are found on the west coasts of continents between 30° and 40°
latitude, and along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Mediterranean summers feature
clear skies, cool nights, and little rain.

Humid Subtropical

Humid subtropical climates are usually found on the eastern sides of continents.
In cities such as Savannah, Georgia, in the U.S.; Shanghai, China; and Sydney, Australia,
summers are hot and humid. Winter can be severely cold. Precipitation is spread evenly
through the year and totals 76 to 165 centimeters (30-65 inches). Hurricanes and other
violent storms are common in these regions.

Marine West Coast

Weather on both sides of a continent generally becomes cooler as latitude increases.

The marine west coast climate, a type of mild climate typical of cities such as
Seattle, Washington, in the U.S. and Wellington, New Zealand, has a longer, cooler
winter than the Mediterranean climate. Drizzle falls about two-thirds of winter days, and
temperatures average about 5° Celsius (41° Fahrenheit).

D. Continental
These regions have warm to cool summers and very cold winters. In the winter,
this zone can experience snowstorms, strong winds, and very cold temperatures
sometimes falling below -22°F (-30°C).

Areas with continental climates have colder winters, longer-lasting snow, and
shorter growing seasons. They are the transition zones between mild and polar climates.
Continental climates experience extreme seasonal changes.

There are three types of continental climate—warm summer, cool summer, and
subarctic.

Warm Summer
Warm summer climate regions often have wet summer seasons, similar to
monsoon climates. For this reason, this climate type is also called humid continental.
Most of Eastern Europe, including Romania and Georgia, has warm summer climates.

Cool Summer
Cool summer climates have winters with low temperatures and snow. Cold winds,
sweeping in from the Arctic, dominate winter weather.

Sub-arctic
North of regions with cool summer climates are regions with sub-arctic climates.
These regions, including northern Scandinavia and Siberia, experience very long, cold
winters with little precipitation. Subarctic climates are also called boreal climates or
taiga.

E. Polar Climates
 In the polar climate zones, it’s extremely cold. Even in summer, the temperatures
here never go higher than 50°F (10°C)!
The two polar climate types, tundra and ice cap, lie within the Arctic and
Antarctic Circles near the North and South Poles.

Tundra

In tundra climates, summers are short, but plants and animals are plentiful.
Temperatures can average as high as 10° Celsius (50° Fahrenheit) in July. Wildflowers
dot the landscape, and flocks of migratory birds feed on insects and fish. Whales feed on
microscopic creatures in the region’s cold, nutrient-rich waters. People have adapted to
life on the tundra for thousands of years.

Ice Cap

Few organisms survive in the ice cap climates of the Arctic and Antarctic.
Temperatures rarely rise above freezing, even in summer. The ever-present ice helps keep
the weather cold by reflecting most of the Sun’s energy back into the atmosphere. Skies
are mostly clear and precipitation is low. In fact, Antarctica, covered by an ice cap 1.6-
kilometers (one-mile) thick, is one of the largest, driest deserts on Earth.

What does a map of climate zones really look like?

Distance to the equator is only one part of an area’s climate. Things like the movement
of the oceans and Earth’s tilt and rotation also affect how weather patterns move around the
globe.
How can information about climate zones be used?
Climate zones can be useful for gardening and farming. Plants grow best in the climate
conditions that are found in their native ecosystem. For example, if you want to plant an apple
orchard in your backyard, you should first check to see which varieties of apples are a good
match for your region’s climate.
What is Climate Variability?
Climate variability is the term to describe variations in the mean state and other
characteristics of climate (such as chances or possibility of extreme weather, etc.) "on all spatial
and temporal scales beyond that of individual weather events." Some of the variability does not
appear to be caused by known systems and occurs at seemingly random times. Such variability is
called random variability or noise. On the other hand, periodic variability occurs relatively
regularly and in distinct modes of variability or climate patterns.
What is Climate Change?
Climate change is a long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to
define Earth’s local, regional and global climates. These changes have a broad range of observed
effects that are synonymous with the term.
Changes observed in Earth’s climate since the mid-20th century are driven by human
activities, particularly fossil fuel burning, which increases heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in
Earth’s atmosphere, raising Earth’s average surface temperature. Natural processes, which have
been overwhelmed by human activities, can also contribute to climate change, including internal
variability (e.g., cyclical ocean patterns like El Niño, La Niña and the Pacific Decadal
Oscillation) and external forcings (e.g., volcanic activity, changes in the Sun’s energy output,
variations in Earth’s orbit).
Scientists use observations from the ground, air, and space, along with computer models,
to monitor and study past, present, and future climate change. Climate data records provide
evidence of climate change key indicators, such as global land and ocean temperature increases;
rising sea levels; ice loss at Earth’s poles and in mountain glaciers; frequency and severity
changes in extreme weather such as hurricanes, heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, floods, and
precipitation; and cloud and vegetation cover changes.
“Climate change” and “global warming” are often used interchangeably but have distinct
meanings. Similarly, the terms "weather" and "climate" are sometimes confused, though they
refer to events with broadly different spatial- and timescales.
Climate vs. Weather
CLIMATE WEATHER
Definition Describes the average Weather refers to the short-
conditions expected at a term conditions of the lower
specific place at a given atmosphere, such as
time.A region's climate is precipitation, temperature,
generated by the climate humidity, wind direction,
system, which has five wind speed, and atmospheric
components: atmosphere, pressure. It could be sunny,
hydrosphere, cryosphere, land cloudy, rainy, foggy, cold,
surface, and biosphere. hot, windy, stormy, snowing.
Components Climate may include Weather includes sunshine,
precipitation, temperature, rain, cloud cover, winds, hail,
humidity, sunshine, wind snow, sleet, freezing rain,
velocity, phenomena such as flooding, blizzards, ice
fog, frost, and hail storms storms, thunderstorms, steady
over a long period of time. rains from a cold front or
warm front, excessive heat,
heat waves and more
Forecast By aggregates of weather By collecting meteorological
 statistics over periods of 30 data, like air temperature,
years pressure, humidity, solar
radiation, wind speeds and
direction etc.
Determining factors Aggregating weather Real-time measurements of
statistics over periods of 30 atmospheric pressure,
years ("climate normals"). temperature, wind speed and
direction, humidity,
precipitation, cloud cover,
and other variables
About Climate is defined as Weather is the day-to-day
statistical weather state of the atmosphere, and
information that describes the its short-term (minutes to
variation of weather at a weeks) variation
given place for a specified
interval.
Time period Measured over a long period Measured for short term

Time factor in climate and weather

The difference between weather and climate is a measure of time. Weather refers to the
atmospheric conditions of a specific place over a short period of time, usually 24 hours. Climate
refers to the average atmospheric conditions over relatively long periods of time, usually 30
years. In other words, when one talks about the climate, then they're talking about the pattern
over a long term while when weather is referred to then the conditions of short term are being
spoken of.

Components of weather and climate

There are several aspects to weather. Weather includes sunshine, rain, cloud cover, winds,
hail, snow, sleet, freezing rain, flooding, blizzards, ice storms, thunderstorms, steady rains from a
cold front or warm front, excessive heat, heat waves and more. Climate may include
precipitation, temperature, humidity, sunshine, wind velocity, phenomena such as fog, frost, and
hail storms over a long period of time.

Changes in climate vs. weather

Weather may change from minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour, day-to-day, and season-to-
season. Climate, however, is the average of weather over time and space and changes in overall
climate tend to be gradual.

How do weather Satellites play a role?

Weather Satellites are an important observational tool for all scales of NWS forecasting
operations. Satellite data, having a global view, complements land-based systems such as
radiosondes, weather radars, and surface observing systems.

There are two types of weather satellites: polar orbiting and geostationary. Both satellite
systems have unique characteristics and produce very different products.The two polar orbiting
satellites, in their north-south orbits, observe the same spot on the Earth twice daily, once during
the daylight and once at night. Polar orbiting satellites provide imagery and atmospheric
 soundings of temperature and moisture data over the entire Earth. Geostationary satellites are in
orbit 22,000 miles above the equator, spin at the same rate of the Earth and constantly focus on
the same area. This enables the satellite to take a picture of the Earth, at the same location, every
30 minutes. Computer processing of this data creates “movie loops” of the data that forecasters
use as their real-time “bird’s eye view” from space.

The East-West orbit of GOES satellites depicted in the The North-South orbit of Polar orbiting satellites depicted
yellow circle. in the yellow line.

Submitted By:
Grant Nel L. Alameda
Bsed- 3 Science