GRADUATE SCHOOL

BORONGAN CITY

ED 613 – Climate Change and Disaster Risk

Management

Chapter I: The Science of Climate Change

• The Earth System
• The Climate and Weather System
• Climate and Biosphere

Reporters

Llaneta, Nadine A. MaEd-ELT

Acla, Mie Arianie Y. MaEd-ELT
 Earth is the largest of the four planets closest to the sun: it differs in many ways from all
other planets. Only Earth possesses an atmosphere which supports oxygen-breathing life
forms. No other planet has a hydrosphere and living systems which are comparable to
our biosphere. The size of the Earth is important because it supports enough gravitational
attraction to keep atmospheric gases on the planet.

The Earth as a System

▪ System- a set of interconnected components that are interacting to form a unified
whole.
▪ Closed System- It is a system in which there is only an exchange of heat or energy and
no exchange of matter. The Earth receives energy from the sun and returns some of
this energy to space.
3 Types of Sytems:
✓ Isolated System-no matter or energy enters, or leaves.
✓ Closed System -energy enters and leaves, but material does not.
✓ Open System-both energy and matter enter and leave.

The Earth’s Subsystems

A. GEOSPHERE
➢ Geo means “earth”(sometimes called the Lithosphere)
➢ It is the largest Earth system which includes the thin layer of soil and rocks on
Earth’s surface and all underlying layers of the earth.
➢ Geosphere is about processes. The processes of the rock cycle such as
metamorphism, melting and solidification, weathering, erosion, deposition, and
burial are responsible for the constant recycling of rocks on Earth between
sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic states.
Importance of Geosphere:
▪ Provides the environment for all living things to live in and survive.
▪ The geosphere is the physical sphere that is made up of solid rock and other
minerals. If there is no geosphere, there will only be water on Earth.

B. BIOSPHERE
➢ Bio means “life”. The biosphere is made up of all the living things on Earth.
➢ It is the “life zone” of the Earth, and includes all living organisms (including
humans), and all organic matter that has not yet decomposed.
➢ It is made up of the parts of Earth where life exists—all ecosystems.
➢ It extends from the deepest root systems of trees to the dark environments of
ocean trenches, to lush rain forests, high mountaintops, and transition zones,
where ocean and terrestrial ecosystems meet.

3 Basic Components of the Biosphere

a. Abiotic Component- consists of all Non-living elements which are essential

for the survival of all living organisms.
Examples: mineral nutrients, Gases, water, soil and sediments
b. Biotic Component- Consists of all living elements essential for the survival of
all living organisms.
Examples: plants, animals, microorganisms
c. Energy Component- essential for generation and reproduction of all
biological life on this planet
Example: Sun (major source of energy)
 Importance of Biosphere:
▪ It provides the necessary environmental conditions for survival.
▪ Living organisms are required to adapt to the environment of the biosphere.
▪TheThemany interactions
biosphere is homebetween Earth’s
to biodiversity systems
within are complex,
ecosystems and they
while providing are
a reliable
happening
source ofconstantly, though their effects are not always obvious. There are some
food on Earth.
extremely dramatic examples of Earth’s systems interacting, like volcanic eruptions
andHYDROSPHERE
C. tsunamis, but there are also slow, nearly undetectable changes that alter ocean
chemistry,
➢ Thethe content
Earth of ourplanet’,
is a ’water atmosphere,
containsandallthe
themicrobial biodiversity
water found in soil.
on our planet.
Each➢part
Thethis planet,
large oceansfrom
areEarth’s inner prerequisite
an essential core to the topfor of
thethe atmosphere,
existence of thehas a
biosphere.
role in making Earth home to billions of lifeforms.
They were the cradle of the first life on Earth and provide an indispensable habitat
for numerous organisms.
✓ Surface Water: Includes the ocean as well as water from lakes, rivers and
creeks.
✓ Ground Water: Includes water trapped in the soil and groundwater.
✓ Atmosphere: water vapor.
Importance of Hydrosphere:
▪ One of the Basic Needs of Human
▪ Part of a Living Cell
▪ Habitat for Many Organisms
▪ Regulates Temperature
▪ Atmosphere Existence
D. ATMOSPHERE
➢ Atmos means “air”. The Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air, which we call the
atmosphere.
➢ The atmosphere consists of five unique layers namely troposphere,
stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere.
Importance of Atmosphere:
▪ Provides the necessary gases for living things to survive.
▪ Regulates the heat from the sun to the right temperature for life on Earth.
▪ Plays an important role in water cycle.
▪ Protects living organisms from temperatures extremes and excessive UV radiation.

E. CRYOSPHERE
➢ The cryosphere contains the frozen parts of the planet
➢ It includes snow and ice on land, ice caps, glaciers, permafrost, and sea ice
➢ This sphere helps maintain Earth’s climate by reflecting incoming solar radiation
back into space

The many interactions between Earth’s systems are complex, and they are
happening constantly, though their effects are not always obvious. There are some
extremely dramatic examples of Earth’s systems interacting, like volcanic eruptions
and tsunamis, but there are also slow, nearly undetectable changes that alter ocean
chemistry, the content of our atmosphere, and the microbial biodiversity in soil.
Each part this planet, from Earth’s inner core to the top of the atmosphere, has a
role in making Earth home to billions of lifeforms.
 a. The NASA, Connect the Spheres: Earth Systems Interactions
b. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/earths-systems/
c. https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1256-what-is-the-earth-
system
d. https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/earth-system/geosphere
e. https://www.vedantu.com/physics/importance-of-hydrosphere

Reporter: Llaneta, Nadine A. MaEd-ELT

 CLIMATE AND WEATHER SYSTEM

I. INTRODUCTION

Weather is what conditions of the atmosphere are over a short period of

time, and climate is how the atmosphere “behaves” over relatively long periods
of time.

II. DISCUSSION

The components of the climate system, their processes, and interactions. This
includes the atmosphere, biosphere (life), cryosphere (ice), hydrosphere (water),
land and human influences, and the interactions between these components
(shown with two-way arrows). The parts of the system that can change are labeled
as “change”.
IPCC AR4 FAQ

SUN
•
All energy in the Earth’s climate system originates from the Sun. Ninety-
three million miles away, the Sun is a ball of gasses undergoing nuclear
reactions and giving off very large amounts of energy.
• Not all of the Sun’s energy is reflected back out to space. Some is
absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere and surface, and this absorbed energy
keeps our planet from freezing.
• Incoming Solar Energy and “Albedo”
- as energy from the Sun reaches Earth, light colors reflect a portion of it
back to space, and dark colors (like the deep blues of Earth’s oceans) absorb it.
This fraction of solar energy reflected is called albedo, which can also be thought of
as brightness.

EARTH’S CLIMATE SYSTEM

1. Atmosphere
2. Land (geosphere)
3. Ocean (hydrosphere)
4. Ice (cryosphere)
5. Living organism (biosphere)
1. ATMOSPHERE

• Earth’s atmosphere is made up of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. The

remaining 1%, called trace gases, includes water vapor (𝐻2 𝑂), ozone
(𝑂3 ), carbon dioxide (𝐶𝑂2 ), and methane (𝐶𝐻4 ), which absorb and then
release energy as infrared radiation or heat.
• Gases in Earth’s atmosphere keep the average temperature of the lower
atmosphere a habitable 140 C (570 F) through a process known as the
greenhouse effects.

2. OCEAN (HYDROSPHERE)
• Covering approximately 70% of Earth’s surface, the ocean acts as a vast heat
storage device in the climate system.
• Ocean circulation serves to transport heat from the equator to the poles.
• In addition, gases from the atmosphere can dissolve in ocean and be stored
for many years in its depths.
• However, when too much carbon dioxide is dissolved, sea water becomes
more acidic, making it harmful to marine life.

3. LAND (GEOSPHERE)
• On long geological timescales, changes in the distribution of land masses
around the globe have had major effects on the movement of air around the
planet, causing large changes in Earth’s climate.
• On much shorter timescales, changes in the surface of the land due to
agriculture, forestry, and urbanization alter the amount of energy that is
being absorbed or reflected back to space.
• Major volcanic eruptions can also impact Earth’s climate, as these eruptions
release gases and particles into the upper atmosphere where they reflect
sunlight and affect the chemistry of the atmosphere.

4. ICE (CRYOSPHERE)

• Nearly 70% of Earth’s freshwater is contained in ice caps, glaciers, and

regions of permanent snow cover.
• With their bright white color, ice and snow reflect large amounts of incoming
solar energy back to space.
• Ice also serves to insulate the ocean and land from the atmosphere.
• The presence of ice can change the dynamics of wind and weather processes.

5. BIOSPHERE (LIVING ORGANISM)

• They can change the chemical makeup of the atmosphere by, for example,
absorbing carbon dioxide through photosynthesis as plants and algae do,
and by adding chemicals to the atmosphere from pollution as humans do.
• The changes affect the albedo, or brightness, of Earth’s surface and
influence the overall climate system.

What is weather system?

- A typically transitory mesoscale to synoptic-scale region of atmospheric
conditions representing a disruption or disturbance of the mean flow,
most often used to describe areas of significant (but not necessarily
severe or usual) weather.
 Weather disturbances
Rain-Producing Weather System
(Philippines)

1. Tropical Cyclone (Bagyo)

• Rapidly-rotating storm system characterized by:
➢ Low pressure center
➢ Strong winds
➢ Spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce
heavy rain

Tropical Cyclone Classifications:

• Tropical Depression (TD) - maximum sustained winds of 45 to 61 kph

• Tropical Storm (TS) – maximum sustained winds of 62 to 117 kph
• Typhoon (TY) – maximum sustained winds of 118 kph to 219 kph
• Super Typhoon (STY) – maximum sustained winds of 220 kph or more

2. Low Pressure Area (LPA)

• Characterized by clouds of precipitation caused by rising air.
• Often related to inclement weather such as winds flowing counter
clockwise and into the center of the low pressure.

3. Monsoons
• Major wind systems that seasonally reverse its direction.
• Caused by difference between annual temperature trends over land
and sea.

Southeast Monsoon Northeast Monsoon

(Habagat) (Amihan)

Months June- September November-March

Winds Warm and moist Cold and relatively dry

Origin South Indian Ocean/ Mainland China/ Siberia

Australian Continent
Direction From Southwest From Northeast
Rains Moderate to heavy rains Slight to moderate to
along western sections; sometimes heavy rains
can cause torrential rains along eastern sections
if enhanced by tropical
cyclone or low-pressure
system

4. Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)

• Area encircling the earth near the equator where the Northeast (NE)
and Southeast (SE) trade winds come together.
• Appears as a band of clouds, usually thunderstorms, that circle globe
near the equator.
 • Responsible for the wet and dry seasons in the tropics.
• Moves north in the northern summer and south in the northern
winter.

5. Tail-end of Cold Front

• Tail-end of a cold front is the extended part of the boundary, which
happens when the cold air and warm air meet.
• Producing cool Northeasterly winds with precipitation across Eastern
Philippines.
• Occurs normally between November and April.

➢ COLD FRONT
- the transition zone where a cold air mass is replacing a warmer air mass.
- normally occurs at temperate and subtropical areas.
- it’s tail-end occasionally extends along the eastern sections of the country.

➢ SEA BREEZE (ONSHORE BREEZE)

- wind from the sea that develops over land near the coasts during daytime.
- formed by increasing temperature differences between land and water.
- forces cooler air from a high-pressure area over the sea to move to a low-
pressure area inland.

➢ LAND BREEZE (OFFSHORE BREEZE)

- A local wind system characterized by a flow from land to water late at
night.
- Alternate with sea breezes along coastlines adjacent to large bodies of
water.
- Both are induced by differences that occur between the heating or cooling
of the water surface and the adjacent land surface.

6. Thunderstorm

• A violent short-lived weather disturbance that is almost always

associated with lightning, thunder, dense clouds, heavy rain or hail, and
strong gusty winds.
• A type of weather condition derived from a matured vertical cloud known
as Cumulonimbus Cb).

III. CONCLUSION
Therefore, both climate and weather are important in human life. Climate
affects nearly every aspect of our lives, from our food sources to our transport
infrastructure, from what clothes we wear, to where we go on holidays. It has a huge
effect on our livelihoods, our health, and our future. Likewise, weather is very
important to human life, animals and agriculture because it controls the distribution
of rain-water and the required freshness to the survival of all living organisms.
Despite its importance on earth, human activities, plants, and environments, it is
also appeared to be having negative impact as well.
Reporter: Acla, Mie Arianie Y. MaEd-ELT