Elevation / Altitude

- the higher it is from sea level the cooler the temperature. As elevation increases, the air becomes less dense. Less dense air cannot hold as much heat as dense air, meaning as elevation increases, temperature decreases.

- This is due to the fact that atmosphere gets heated by terrestrial radiation rather than directly by the sun. Hence, the temperature decreases with increasing altitude. The lower layers of atmosphere are denser and have dust particles, water vapor which absorbs the heat. Temperature decreases at the rate of 1°C for 165 m (7°C for 100 km) of ascent.

Latitude

- the further you move away from the equator, north or south, the cooler the temperature.

- this is because the sun's rays are dispersed over a larger area of land as you move away from the equator.

- this is due to the curved surface of the earth. In addition polar regions are colder because the sun's rays have further to travel compared to place on the equator.

- regions close to the equator receive direct rays of the sun and therefore receive more radiant energy and are warmer at the areas closer to the poles, the sun's rays are at an angle so these areas receive less radiant energy and are cooler.

* same amount of energy is spread out over greater area at higher latitudes

Bodies of Water

- large bodies of water have moderating effect on temperature

- water is slower to warm or cool than landforms

- this means cooler summers and milder winters

- Bodies of water affect climate in many ways, but perhaps the most significant impact is based on the fact that large bodies of water act as heat sinks. In other words, large bodies of water tend to store heat in warm periods and release it in cold periods.

- large bodies of water tend to moderate temperatures in both summer and winter in nearby land areas, compared to areas that are farther inland.

Wind System

- Winds that blow from the sea often bring rain to the coast and dry weather to inland areas.

- Ocean currents Winds blowing over warm currents, pick up more mois ture and cause heavy rainfall, e.g., Western part of the Philippines is influenced by the warm Southwest monsoon and the south Westerlies pick up moisture which cause heavy rainfall.

- On the other hand, where land areas are affected by the cold currents, they experience less rainfall as the winds blowing above them carry less moisture. Example is the wind coming from Siberia known as the Northeast monsoon that we experience this month.

Northeast Monsoon

Southeast Monsoon

Amount of Rainfall / Precipitation

- The amount of rainfall is also a factor that affects climate of a particular place. When it seldom rains in an area, the place has pronounced dry season. When it always rains, the place is wet most of the year. There are places however, that experience even distribution of sunny and rainy days throughout the year.

Human influence

- The factors above affect the climate naturally.  However, we cannot forget the influence of humans on our climate.  Early on in human history our effect on the climate would have been quite small.  However, as populations increased and trees were cut down in large numbers, so our influence on the climate increased.  Trees take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.  A reduction in trees will therefore have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

- The greenhouse effect is a process by which thermal radiation from a planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases, and is re-radiated in all directions.

End…………