Ok, Sun Reong & Maningas, Camille Joy

Meteorological Process

The impact of weather and climate to the tradition, culture, and the structure of the society is sometimes
overlooked. Society is becoming increasingly sensitive to the wavering changes of weather and climate.
The study of their interconnections requires a deep understanding of the social and natural sciences which
will need a diverse type of data in order to study the phenomena. In this paper, we are going to analyze
the influence of weather and climate to individuals and groups as well as in the ecological system.

Meteorology is one of the oldest observational sciences that was practiced since the ancient times and it
is still relevant up until today. The first observational meteorologist and weather forecasters were
shepherds, farmers, and sailors whose livelihoods and safety depended upon understanding and
predicting the weather.

Surrounding the Earth is a gaseous envelope or atmosphere, held in place by the planet’s gravitational
attraction. The Earth’s atmosphere is a complex dynamical, physical, and chemical system. Dynamic
processes cover a large range of scales from the microscopic-scale dynamics of evaporation, condensation,
cloud formation and precipitation, to small-scale, localized vertical and horizontal wind motions, to
medium-scale cyclones, anticyclones, hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, thunderstorms, fronts, etc., to the
largescale general circulation of the atmosphere.

Physical processes in the atmosphere include the transfer of incoming solar radiation through the
atmosphere to the surface, the heating of the surface, the emission of outgoing infrared radiation, the
absorption of infrared radiation by atmospheric gases, the evaporation of water, the condensation of
atmospheric water vapor into clouds, and precipitation. Chemical processes include the transformation
and production of atmospheric gases, such as atmospheric ozone, via chemical reactions involving many
dozens of gases in the atmosphere.

I. Weather vs. Climate

People usually mistake both of these terms as a same concept but weather and climate are two different
things. Weather is the day-to-day state of the atmosphere, and its short-term variation in minutes to
weeks. People generally think of weather as the combination of temperature, humidity, precipitation,
cloudiness, visibility, and wind. We talk about changes in weather in terms of the near future: "How hot
is it right now?" "What will it be like today?" and "Will we get a snowstorm this week?" On the other hand,
is the weather of a place averaged over a period of time, often 30 years. Climate information includes the
statistical weather information that tells us about the normal weather, as well as the range of weather
extremes for a location.

Weather can affect different aspects of our every life such as in aviation, air quality, health, ground and
marine transportation, defense, agriculture, fisheries, water, energy, construction, tourism, and many
other sectors of the economy. There is also a growing awareness of the impact of climate variability due
to El Niño and La Niña that greatly devastates civilizations and livelihood. Due to this, people need to have
a factual and precise prediction for the protection of lives and property and continued economic growth
increases.

II. The Water Cycle and Types of Rainfall

 The distribution of water will be impossible without the hydrological cycle. Without this, we
would have no streams, lakes or no rain, not even sea. In the absence of this cycle it would be
impossible for humans or animals to survive at all.

The Water Cycle or the Hydrological Cycle

- The cycle begins at sea. Water from the sea is warmed by the sun. This causes the seawater to
evaporate. The seawater turns to water vapor and steam. The vapor rises as hot air tends to be
light.
- As the water vapor rises, it is cooled. This cooling causes the water vapor to condense as cool air
tends to be heavier and cannot store water droplets.
- When the vapor condenses, it forms cloud. The cloud receives more and more vapor until it
cannot store any more. The cloud is saturated and so, begins to precipitate.
- Depending on temperature, precipitation has many forms. It can include rain, hailstones, sleet or
snow. The most likely form is rain.
- The rain or precipitation flows into rivers and streams and these rivers and streams bring the
water back to the sea where the cycle begins again.
a. Convectional Rain
Convection currents usually occurs when there is a transfer of heat from one place to another.
We can observe this in the earth’s mantle where
the heat of the magma is released upwards
towards the lithosphere which is released to the
air and makes the cycle when it reaches the
stratosphere. Convectional rain occurs when the
sun heats up the land surface and also heats up
the surrounding air. The rise of warm air results
convectional air due to the transfer of heat as it
goes up in a higher altitude and temperature
drops. Such rain is common during the summer
season or in the hotter part of the day. It is
common in the equatorial regions and interior parts of the continents particularly in the
northern hemisphere.

b. Relief Rainfall
Relief rain usually occurs along coastal areas
where a line of hills runs along the coast. When
wet onshore wind from the sea meets a
mountain, hill or any other sort of barrier, it is
forced to rise along the slope and cools. When
the air temperature falls to its dew point, water
vapour condenses to form clouds. When the
clouds can no longer hold the water droplets,
relief rain begins to fall on the windward slope
of the mountain. On the leeward slope, air sinks,
it is warmed and further dried by compression.
Therefore, the leeward slope is known as rain shadow. Moist winds blow in from the sea and
are forced to rise over the land. The air cools and the water vapor condenses, forming rain
drops. The rainiest places in the world are places that have relief rainfall.

c. Frontal Rainfall

Frontal rain happens when cooler air and

warmer, humid air meet in a weather front. The
less dense warm air rises and condenses
forming clouds. These clouds grow and
eventually create rain. In some places on the
northern temperate zone the cold air front
tends to come from the north west and the
warm air front comes from the south west.
III. Temperature and Climate Variation

1. The solar energy received by any region varies with time of day, with seasons, and with
latitude that causes temperature variations.
2. Variation with latitude: The angle of incident of the solar radiation varies with shape of
the Earth. The Sun is more over headed in equatorial regions as compare to the higher
latitudes. This is the only region temperature vary from Equator to the poles.
3. Cloud obstructs the receipt and loss of insolation causes low temperature in clouded
region.
4. Clear sky in desert region causes high temperature because insolation is received without
obstruction in the day and lost without obstruction in the night.
5. Snow bound region absorbs less and reflects more insolation causes low temperature.
6. High altitude region have high temperature range because in this region air is thin which
brings great loss of insolation in the night and no obstruction in the receipt of insolation
in the day.
7. Distance from the sea: The interior regions of the landmasses receive higher temperature
whereas nearest to the sea have moderate temperatures due sea breezes.
8. Warm and cold winds disturb the temperature range.

Latitude is the measurement of the distance of a location on the Earth from the equator. The
further away from the equator that you are the less sunlight that this location receives. This has
to do with the shape of the earth. Since Earth is round, not every place receives the same amount
of sunlight, or heat. Another reason is due to the angle of solar incidence, this is the angle at which
the Sun's rays strike the Earth's surface. At the Equator, the Sun's rays strike the Earth at a right
angle, which makes the heat more intense and concentrated over a small area. Less heat is lost
to the atmosphere as the rays travel a shorter distance through the atmosphere. At the poles, the
Sun's rays strike the Earth at an acute angle, this spreads the heat over a larger area. More heat
is lost to the atmosphere as the rays travel a longer distance through the atmosphere.

Altitude affects temperature due to the distribution of heat. The Earth's surface absorbs most of
the heat from the sun. Then, as the Earth's surface warms up, the heat spreads into the lower
layers of the atmosphere, and transfers some of the heat to the upper layers of the atmosphere.
As the air heats up, it expands and becomes less dense, then becomes lighter, causing it to rise
up above the cooler air. As it does this, the air continues to expand. This is because there is less
pressure higher in the atmosphere, allowing the air molecules to spread out more. So, the higher
one travels into the troposphere, the lower the temperature becomes.

Wind systems have also impact on climate. Water currents have the ability to cool and warm the
air, while air currents push air from one climate to another, bringing heat (or cold) and moisture
with it. Ocean currents affect the temperature by moving hot or cold water from one location to
another. The Gulf Stream, for example, moves warm air from the Gulf of Mexico along the eastern
coast of the U.S., and eventually to the British Isles. As the warm water travels North, it warms
the water and air around it. The dominant air currents that affect climate are known as prevailing
winds. Prevailing winds are winds that blow in one direction more often than from other
directions. Prevailing winds bring air from one type of climate to another. For example, warm
 winds that travel over water tend to collect moisture as they travel; the water vapor in the air will
condense as it moves into colder climates, which is why temperate coastal areas often receive
heavy rainfall. Another factor that affects air currents is air pressure. The higher the difference in
air pressure between two areas, the stronger the winds will be. This happens because high
pressure air has a tendency to move towards areas of lower pressure. Low pressured air also holds
less heat than high pressured air, which is why it is generally colder at higher elevations.

IV. Effects of and responses to a weather disturbance

According to the World Meteorological Organization, the different weather disturbances are
tropical cyclones, intense tropical cyclones, low-pressure areas, very intense tropical cyclones,
tropical waves, tropical disturbances, tropical depressions and zones of disturbed weather.
Weather Disturbances are also referred to as natural disasters, as they are capable of wreaking
havoc on roads, power lines and buildings.

In 2017, in the period from May 23 to early May 26, a heavy monsoon rainfall was measured by
NASA over the southwestern Bay of Bengal. More than 90 people have been reported killed and
over 100 missing due to a landslide in the village of Bellana, in the Kalutara district of Sri Lanka.
Flooding and subsequent potential landslides threat have forced the evacuation of people in low-
lying areas in parts of the country. Meanwhile, the report said over 13,000 families have been
evacuated to 231 welfare centers due to flood and landslide risks in 10 districts.

Agricultural impacts from natural events and disasters include:

- contamination of water bodies,

- loss of harvest or livestock,
- increased susceptibility to disease, and
- destruction of irrigation systems and other agricultural infrastructure.

These impacts can have long lasting effects on agricultural production including crops, forest
growth, and arable lands, which require time to mature. Learning how to prepare for and recover
from natural events and disasters will decrease their long-term effects on agriculture and the
environment. Health risks due to diseases and contaminated resources is also a problem people
have to face after the disaster. Displacement of people from their homes makes them stop from
their normal routine and emotional stress is also high.

Economically, weather disasters are a knife in the pockets of governments and businesses. Inputs
can be delayed due to bad weather that can hinder transportations and delivery of products.
Agriculture will be devastated and the harmony of the eco system will be disrupted. Disturbances
will also not be isolated in one region but will also affect physically and economically.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which tracks billion-dollar disasters,
reported in January that the record total came from 16 separate events with damages exceeding
$1 billion in 2017. This makes this year the costliest year on record for natural disasters.
The continuous severity of rainfall is a significant manifestation of climate change. Heavier storms
are felt each year and much more population are affected by it. There are few signs at the local
or federal level that policymakers are taking the risks of climate change and extreme weather
seriously, and some forces are even exacerbating the risk. Engineers have long known that
Houston is especially prone to flooding, yet land developers have acted as though the risk is
nonexistent for decades. Future development will need to reckon with a need for better drainage.
Even without the threat of climate change, we’ve long known that hurricanes are dangerous.
They’ve inflicted grave damage on coastal communities for as long as we’ve had them. Louisiana
has long been notorious for flooding, and Arizona renowned for triple-digit heat, and wildfires
have always been an iconic part of the American West.

But the climate is changing, and the potential harm from these events is growing. In a recent
analysis of climate events from last year, 2016, scientists determined three events — record-
breaking global heat, a heat wave over Asia, and a “blob” of unusually warm water in the Northern
Pacific — could not have occurred without human-induced climate change. “I’ve never seen that
language in a paper until now,” Jeff Rosenfeld, editor-in-chief of Bulletin of the American
Meteorological Society, which published the report, said. “We’re virtually certain that [these
events were] impossible without human-induced climate change.” So larger hurricanes are
coming. More wildfires will ignite. Longer heat waves will sear. And other climate disasters are
likely grow bigger, more intense, more expensive, and more frequent. We see them on the
horizon. And we need to start preparing now.

Forecasts, early warning systems and effective national weather services play an essential role in
protecting local communities from weather and climate impacts such as flooding, tidal surges and
heatwaves. Secondly, the pressures of population and economic growth need to be recognized
and addressed. Housing and infrastructure constructed in danger zones such as flood plains or at
the foot of unstable hillsides can put lives at risk. Alleviating poverty and strengthening public
institutions is vital to reducing this risk. Thirdly, a very significant effort is now underway to ramp
up multi-hazard early warning systems, especially in low-income countries and small island
developing states. Many of these areas face high levels of climate risk caused by greenhouse gas
emissions for which they bear the least responsibility. Rising sea levels, warming land and sea
temperatures are all contributing to the severity of extreme weather events in a variety of ways.
Climate risk exacerbates the more general risk of disasters that humanity has always faced. Over
the last 40 years there has been a doubling of extreme weather events which have caused huge
loss of life, disrupted billions of lives and caused staggering economic losses.

Local governments have an essential role to play in ensuring that strategies at the municipal level
are aligned with the Sendai Framework and are implemented. If development is sustainable, then
these tragedies are less likely to occur.