Neil Frederick S. Calderon, RMT
Weather and Climate
Describe the physical conditions of the atmosphere in a particular area
Weather: short period
Climate: long-term pattern of weather
Affect human activities and ecosystem distribution
Weather and Climate
Weather is the day-to-day condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place.
Climate refers to the average year-after-year conditions of temperature and precipitation in a particular region.
Both climate and weather are dynamic – they change with time.
Weather & Climate Definitions
Weather- “the state of the atmosphere with respect to heat or cold, wetness or dryness, calm or storm, clearness or cloudiness”.
Climate – “the average course or condition of the weather at a place usually over a period of years as exhibited by temperature, wind velocity, and precipitation”
Main points to remember as we learn about weather:
The sun warms the earth’s surface and therefore all the air above the surface
The earth is warmed most at the equator and least at the poles---why?
The air above land is warmed more quickly than air above water.
Warm air expands and rises, creating an area of low pressure; cold air is dense and sinks, creating an area of high pressure
Factors affecting weather:
Temperature
Pressure
Relative humidity
Precipitation
Temperature
Affected by:
Sunrise and sunset
Angle of sun’s rays
Pressure
Affected by heat:
High temperature Less pressure
Low temperature High pressure
Air movement: high to low pressure area
Prevailing trade winds:
Equatorial air moves towards poles and vice versa
Air masses:
Very large body of air (1600 km)
Source regions
Air mass formation
Affected by temperature and moisture
Types:
Polar and tropical
Continental (dry) and maritime (humid)
Air Masses
Air masses are masses of air that have the same characteristics of the surface over which it develops
Pressure Systems descending (going down)=H