Chapter

10 Christian James P. Valderama, LPT

JHS Science Faculty
 KEY UNDERSTANDING

Today, the world’s climate is

changing and the people need to
adopt it.

KEY QUESTIONS

1. How is climate related to

weather?
2. What factors affect climate?
3. How do scientist classify
climates?
4. What is the climate in the
Philippines?
5. How do we adapt to changing
climates?
 FACTORS THAT AFFECT CLIMATE

Many factors affect the

climate of a region.
These include latitude,
distance from the sea,
ocean currents,
direction of prevailing
winds, Earth’s surface
features and altitude.
LATITUDE
Latitude, is the distance
from the equator, affects
the climate of a place.
At the poles, energy from
the sun reaches Earth’s
surface at lower angles and
passes through thicker
layers of the atmosphere
than at the equator.
 LATITUDE
The poles also experience the greatest
difference in day lengths between summer and
winter.
SUMMER
The sun does not set at the poles within
24 hours.
WINTER
Poles also experience a period of total
darkness, the sun cannot be seen
within 24 hours.
 LATITUDE
• The regions close to the
equator receive the most
solar radiation.
• The climate gets cooler
as you move farther from
the equator.
• The same amount of
solar radiation is spread
over greater area the
farther from the equator.
 LATITUDE

In general, the greater the latitude, the cooler the

overall climate.
LATITUDE
 ALTITUDE
Altitude, is the measure of elevation above sea
level.
The higher the altitude the cooler the air get, this
is because the air is thinner which means there is
less oxygen in the air.
 ALTITUDE
Temperature decrease with height. Increase in
elevation, decrease in temperature.
The air is less dense and cannot hold heat easily,
because there are less particles in the air to
soak up the sun’s energy resulting in the
formation of snow and ice at the tops of the
mountains.
 ALTITUDE
As air rises up, it expands and cools, it will
continue till the forming of clouds, then it
becomes saturated results in precipitation.
 DISTANCE FROM THE SEA
The sea affects the climate of a place, too.
Coastal areas have lower temperature ranges;
hence, they are cooler and wetter compared to
inland areas.
 DISTANCE FROM THE SEA
In coastal areas, the land and sea gain and lose
heat at different rates during the day and the
night. The air create a mild and wet climate. This
is known as a coastal or maritime climate.
 DISTANCE FROM THE SEA
SEA and LAND BREEZE

During the day, air over During the night, air over
ocean is cooler, air over ocean is warmer, air over
land is warmer. Warm air land is cooler. Warm air
rises and moves toward rises and moves toward
the ocean. the land.
 OCEAN CURRENTS AND CIRCULATIONS
The ocean is an important factor in global
climate. It redistributes large amounts of heat all
over Earth through global ocean currents and
deep ocean circulations.
 OCEAN CURRENTS AND CIRCULATIONS
Surface
current is
the
movement
of surface
water due
to the force
exerted by
the wind.
 OCEAN CURRENTS AND CIRCULATIONS
Upwelling is the
vertical
movement of
water caused
by winds.
 OCEAN CURRENTS AND CIRCULATIONS
Deep ocean circulation is caused by the
difference in water density and gravity.
Differences in the density of water are due to
the differences in temperature and salinity. Thus,
the ocean circulation is called thermocline
circulation.
 OCEAN CURRENTS AND CIRCULATIONS
A decrease in the temperature of water causes
an increase in density and an increase in salinity
increases the density of water.
 PREVAILING WINDS
The climate of a region
is affected by
dominant wind systems
or prevailing winds.
These dominant wind
systems are the most
frequently
experienced winds in a
region.
 PREVAILING WINDS
The prevailing
wind from
November to April
is the northeast
monsoon or
amihan. It brings
cool and dry
weather in the
Philippines.
 PREVAILING WINDS
From May to
October, the
prevailing wind is
the southwest
monsoon or
habagat. It carries
more moisture
and therefore
causes more rain.
GLOBAL WIND PATTERNS
Global wind pattern, also
known as general circulation
is the worldwide pattern of
wind and weather. Three
major factors affect global
wind patterns: the warming
of the atmosphere, the
circulation cells and the
Coriolis effect.
GLOBAL WIND PATTERNS
In the tropics, the
region of Earth
between 0o and 30o
latitude, the
prevailing winds are
northeasterly winds
and southeasterly
winds, which also
called trade winds.
GLOBAL WIND PATTERNS
Trade winds
converge
approximately
at the equator.
This zone is
called the
Intertropical
Convergence
Zone (ITCZ).
 GLOBAL WIND PATTERNS
In the temperate zones, the
region between 30o and
60o latitude, the prevailing
wind is called westerlies.
These prevailing winds
originate from southwest in
the Northern Hemisphere
and Northwest in the
Southern Hemisphere.
GLOBAL WIND PATTERNS
In the polar zones, the
regions between 60o and
90o latitude, the prevailing
winds originate from
northeast in the Northern
Hemisphere and southeast
in the Southern Hemisphere.
These prevailing winds are
called polar easterlies.
TOPOGRAPHY
Earth’s topography is not flat,
there are high and low parts.
The hills and mountains
valleys, and flat surfaces of
Earth are physical factors
that affect the climate of a
region.
 TOPOGRAPHY
When air passes
over a mountain
range, it loses
moisture and cools
as it rises. As air
cools, its water
vapor content
condenses and
forms clouds.
 TOPOGRAPHY
On the other side of a
mountain, air is dry and
cold. As dry air
descends, it is warmed.
Thus on the other side
of the mountain,
deserts are formed and
are said to be lie in a
rain shadow.
 TOPOGRAPHY
Broad flat surfaces, such as the central plains of
Luzon, do not stop wind flow very well. Winds
can come from different directions and merge
on the plains. As these wind mix during certain
seasons, thunderstorms and even tornadoes are
produced.
 CLASSIFICATION OF WORLD’S CLIMATE
The most widely used system
fro classifying world’s
climate is the Köppen
Climate Classification
System. The categories in
this system are based on the
annual and monthly
average temperature and
precipitation. Wladimir Köppen
 A

Tropical moist
climates, where
all months have
average
temperatures
above 18oC.
 B

Dry climate,
where
precipitation is
deficient during
most of the year.
 C

Moist middle
latitude, where
winters are mild
and the average
temperature of
the coldest
month is below
18oC but above
-3oC.
 D
Moist middle
latitude, where
winter is severe
and the average
temperature of
the coldest month
is below
-3oC and the
warmest monthly
average
exceeds 10oC.
 E

Polar, where
climates are
summerless, and
the average
temperature of
the warmest
month is below
-10oC.
CLIMATE IN THE PHILIPPINES
The climate in the
Philippines is described
in terms of rainfall
received in a certain
place. Based on the
Modified Corona’s
Classification of
Climate the Philippines
climate has four types.
 Mindoro, Pangasinan,
I Ilocos, parts of Panay
and Palawan

Two pronounced seasons

-dry and wet- with
maximum rain period from
June to September.
Areas of this type
generally exposed to the
southwest monsoon and
gets a fair share of rainfall
brought about by tropical
cyclones occurring during
the maximum rain period.
 II Tayabas, Leyte

No dry season; maximum

rainfall generally occurs in
December and January.
Areas are characterized
by this are located along
near eastern coast. Thus,
they are open to northeast
monsoon.
 III Eastern part of Pangasinan

No pronounced maximum
rain period; has a short dry
season lasting from one to
three months.
Areas with this type are
protected from northeast
monsoon but are exposed
to the southwest monsoon.
Rainfall in these areas is
brought about by tropical
cyclones.
IV Eastern part of Mindanao,
Bohol and Davao

Uniform distribution of
rainfall throughout the
year.