Our Earth is warming. Earth's average temperature has risen by 1.4°F over the past century, and is projected to rise another 2 to 11.5°F over the next hundred years. Small changes in the average temperature of the planet can translate to large and potentially dangerous shifts in climate and weather.
The evidence is clear. Rising global temperatures have been accompanied by changes in weather and climate. Many places have seen changes in rainfall, resulting in more floods, droughts, or intense rain, as well as more frequent and severe heat waves. The planet's oceans and glaciers have also experienced some big changes - oceans are warming and becoming more acidic, ice caps are melting, and sea levels are rising. As these and other changes become more pronounced in the coming decades, they will likely present challenges to our society and our environment.
Climate change refers to any significant change in the measures of climate lasting for an extended period of time. In other words, climate change includes major changes in temperature, precipitation, or wind patterns, among other effects, that occur over several decades or longer.
Factors affecting Climate
> Distance from the sea (Continentality)
The sea affects the climate of a place. Coastal areas are cooler and wetter than inland areas. Clouds form when warm air from inland areas meets cool air from the sea.
> Ocean currents
Ocean currents can increase or reduce temperatures.
> Direction of prevailing winds
Winds that blow from the sea often bring rain to the coast and dry weather to inland areas. Winds that blow to Britain from warm inland areas such as Africa will be warm and dry. Winds that blow to Britain from inland areas such as central Europe will be cold and dry in winter.
> The shape of the land ('relief')
Climate can be affected by mountains. Mountains receive more rainfall than low lying areas because as air is forced over the higher ground it cools, causing moist air to condense and fall out as rainfall.
> Distance from the equator
The distance from the equator affects the climate of a place. At the poles, energy from the sun reaches the Earth's surface at lower angles and passes through a thicker layer of atmosphere than at the equator. This means the climate is cooler further from the Equator.
> El Niño
El Niño, which affects wind and rainfall patterns, has been blamed for droughts and floods in countries around the Pacific Rim. El Niño refers to the irregular warming of surface water in the Pacific. The warmer water pumps energy and moisture into the atmosphere, altering global wind and rainfall patterns.
> 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.
Different places also have different types of climate. We have 4 types of climate here in the Philippines. In Bulacan, the climate is Type II, in which there are two pronounced seasons, dry from November to April, and wet during the rest of the year. Maximum rain period is from June to September.
Typhoon Rammasun, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Glenda, was a powerful tropical cyclone that had destructive impacts across the Philippines, South China, and Vietnam in July 2014. It was the seventh storm of the season to be named by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
Typhoon Glenda is a strong tropical cyclone that has destructive impacts around some areas. While Typhoon Matmo (locally known as Henry), an International Convergence Zone (ITCZ) formed another tropical disturbance but due to typhoon Glenda being nearby, the disturbance started to weaken. On the other hand, Typhoon Inday has been first spotted by PAGASA east of Bicol as a tropical cyclone. But later on, it intesified into a storm.
