Spiral High

SCIENCE 9 MELCS
Quarter 3
Topic: CLIMATIC PHENOMEMON - LA NINA

La Niña is the opposite climatic disturbance to El Niño. This natural phenomenon may but does not always follow El Niño events. It may last for nine to twelve months but in some cases, it lasts for two years.

This event is triggered by the cooling of the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean. Trade winds that move from east to west are strengthened.

Moving air brings along too much water v***r. Areas that experienced severe drought which was caused by El Niño may encounter above normal rainfall. But in some cases, areas that experience dry season will be drier than normal conditions. La Niña’s effects are the opposite of El Niño.

SCIENCE 9 MELCS
Quarter 3
Topic: CLIMATIC PHENOMEMON - EL NINO

El Niño is a lengthy warming in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean. This natural phenomenon occurs at irregular intervals of two to seven years and lasts for nine months or two years at most.

Normally, as trade wind moves from east to west, it collects warm air. But when trade winds is weakened, it causes the piling up of warm surface water and making the part of the Pacific Ocean warmer leading to El Niño phenomenon.
This happens when the upwelling of colder water is blocked by the large quantities of warm surface water. El Niño will most likely bring severe drought. It is believed that it causes stronger thunderstorm disturbance and massive storms. It also causes the decrease of the population of some species.

SCIENCE 9 MELCS
Quarter 3
Topic: CLIMATIC PHENOMEMON - GLOBAL WARMING

Global warming is caused by several factors such as man-made, anthropogenic, or natural. One example of natural causes is the released of methane
gas from arctic tundra and wetlands. Burning fossil fuels is one of the man-made
causes of global warming resulting to pollution. When fossil fuel is burned it gives off carbon dioxide.

EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING
Global warming can bring sea level to rise due to the MELTING OF ICE CAPS AND GLACIERS. Consequently, people may experience severe weather disturbances like STRONG TYPHOONS, HEAVIER RAINFALLS, and CLIMATE CHANGE.

Normally, sunlight enters the earth’s atmosphere, absorbed and then reradiated by back into space.
However, because of the greenhouse effect where the earth’s atmosphere is accumulating additional greenhouse gases and trapping the earth’s infrared radiation from leaving into space raises the earth’s temperature and causes climate change.

SCIENCE 9 MELCS
Quarter 3
Topic: CLIMATIC PHENOMEMON - GREENHOUSE EFFECT

Greenhouse Effect is the natural warming process of the Earth that results when gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the earth that would otherwise escape into space. Sunlight makes the earth habitable.

While 30 percent of the solar energy that reaches our world is reflected back to space, approximately 70 percent passes through the atmosphere to the earth’s surface, where it is absorbed by the land, oceans, and atmosphere, and heats the planet.

This heat is then radiated back up in the form of invisible infrared radiation. While some of this infrared radiation continues on into space, the vast majority—indeed, some 90 percent—gets absorbed by atmospheric gases, known as GREENHOUSE GASES, and redirected back toward the earth, causing further warming.

**Greenhouse gases are:
a. carbon dioxide – absorbs the least amount of energy
b. Methane
c. nitrous oxide
d. hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs)
e. per fluorocarbons (PFCs)
f. sulfur hexafluoride
g. Water v***r.

These gases can be naturally occurring, or man-made.

SCIENCE 9 MELCS
Quarter 3
Topic: FACTOR AFFECTING CLIMATE - OCEAN CURRENTS

Ocean currents are the continuous and directional movement of ocean created by the wind friction, water density, earth’s rotation, solar energy, and gravity variation in different parts of the ocean. The direction of water movement is either horizontal or vertical.

The ocean current systems flow clockwise in the northern hemisphere and Counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere in circular patterns.

The ocean currents transport warm water and precipitation from the equator to the poles and Cold water from the poles back to the equator.

These regulate the global climate, and uneven distribution of heat reaching earth’s surface.

The Earth’s Rotation gives a Coriolis effect and sends wind towards the equator.

SCIENCE 9 MELCS
Quarter 3
Topic: FACTOR AFFECTING CLIMATE - TOPOGRAPHY

SCIENCE 9 MELCS
Quarter 3
Topic: FACTOR AFFECTING CLIMATE - ALTITUDE

The height of an object or structure above a reference level, usually above sea level or the Earth’s surface

What is the relationship between altitude and temperature of a place?

The relationship between altitude and temperature is inversely proportional. As a place's altitude (height above sea level) increases, its temperature decreases, and vice versa.

SCIENCE 9 MELCS
Quarter 3
Topic: FACTOR AFFECTING CLIMATE - Latitude