9

Science
Quarter 3 – Module 4
Factors Affecting Climate
Science – Grade 9
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 3 – Module 4: Factors Affecting Climate
First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Department of Education
Secretary: Leonor Magtolis Briones
Undersecretary: Diosdado M. San Antonio

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Writers: Oshine C. Dela Cruz

Divina Mercedes S. Fernando Florenz T. Asinas
Editor: Reviewer: Illustrator: LayoutG.Artist:
Carmela Reyes
Management Team: Mark Anthony S. Paraguison Hederlyn L. Ferrer, PhD
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 9

Science
Quarter 3 – Module 4
Factors Affecting Climate
Introductory Message
This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, dear learners can
continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, directions, exercises, and
discussions are carefully stated for you to understand each lesson.

Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you step-by-step as
you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.

Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons in each SLM.
This will tell you if you need to proceed on completing this module or if you need to
ask your facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for better understanding of the
lesson. At the end of each module, you need to answer the post-test to self-check
your learning. Answer keys are provided for each activity and test. We trust that
you will be honest in using these.

In addition to the material in the main text, Notes to the Teachers are also provided
to our facilitators and parents for strategies and reminders on how they can best
help you on your home-based learning.

Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on any part of this
SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises and tests. And read
the instructions carefully before performing each task.

If you have any question in using this SLM or any difficulty in answering the tasks
in this module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator.

Thank you.
 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and developed to help you understand the lesson
about climate and the different factors that affect the climate of an area. Different
activities are designed and provided to achieve the objectives of the lessons.

The module focuses on the different factors that affect the climate of an area.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. distinguish climate from weather;
2. describe the factors that affect climate; and
3. explain how each factor affects the climate of an area (S9ES-IIIe-30)

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 What I Know
Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer and write your answers in your
notebook/on a separate sheet of paper.

1. How does the windward side differ from the leeward side of a high land?
a. The windward receives more precipitation than the leeward.
b. The leeward side has more vegetation than the windward side.
c. The windward side receives more heat than the leeward side.
d. The leeward side receives more precipitation than the windward side.

2. Which of the following BEST describes climate?

a. The weather that occurs in the atmosphere within a day.
b. The pattern of weather that occurs in a region over a long period of time.
c. The pattern of weather that occurs in a region over a short period of time.
d. The disturbance in the atmosphere that happens in a long period of time.

3. Why are the coldest places on earth found at the poles?

a. great amount of gaseous particles trap heat from the surface
b. great amount of thermal radiation is received by these areas
c. less amount of gaseous particles trap heat from the surface
d. less amount of thermal radiation is received by these areas

4. Which of the following can cause global warming?

a. volcanic eruptions
b. the increase of the amount of rainfall
c. the rising of warm air into the atmosphere
d. increase of the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere

5. City A is surrounded by bodies of water and has a moderate climate. It is located

near the equator. What will most likely affect the climate of the city?
a. altitude
b. latitude
c. topography
d. all of these

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 Lesson

1 Factors Affecting Climate

If you are watching weather updates on television, you may notice that
weather conditions vary in a short period of time. It may be warm in the morning
but cold and windy in the evening, and may be another weather condition the
following day. Weather refers to a day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity.
It varies from time to time. You have not heard updates on climate, right? It is
because, when we say climate it is a pattern of weather in a certain area over a long
period of time. The climate of the Philippines is tropical and maritime, which is
characterized by relatively high temperature, high humidity and abundant rainfall.
Every January of the year, you experience the coldest temperature, while every May,
you feel the warmest temperature.
There may be two average weather conditions in the Philippines which we
are experiencing every year, but we have different atmospheric conditions that we
are experiencing every day.
In this module, you will learn to distinguish climate from weather. You will
also find out the factors that affect climate and explain how each factor affects the
climate of an area. With this learning, you will understand why the climate of one
country differs from that of others.

Notes to the Facilitator

ers gradually master the desired learning competency. Your support and guidance are needed so that they will be able to perfor

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 What’s In

Word Hunt
Directions: List down at least 10 words that you could find in the puzzle which are
related to the factors affecting climate. Write them in your notebook/on a separate
sheet of paper.

L V N A U K X V Y Q J B T R
D X R C S I O E M Z O K E H
O A O E J U E J D D E D I G
Y J L D N T Z W Y U U G L X
L E E W A R D O C T T M F V
M H Y M O X F H I F A I C H
C R I L S W J T E U Q D T G
G L H K A O L A T I T U D E
C X M T R A W X S I O A I W
M D E T E M P E R A T U R E
I R V S Y H P A R G O P O T
E Y T N E R R U C N A E C O
X R L F P B W E A T H E R X
M S Q W N U O T S L G D Y B
E F B Y D R A W D N I W O K

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 What’s New

Activity 1–When the Sun’s Rays Strike

Objective: Explain how latitude affects climate

Procedure:
Study the illustration below and answer the following questions. Write your answers
in your notebook/on a separate sheet of paper.

Source: Grade 7 Science Module

Guide Questions:

Q1. How much is the tilt of the Earth’s axis?

Q2. Which part of the Earth receives most of the sun’s rays?
Q3. Why does the amount of heat received by places far from the equator
become less?
Q4.Why are the coldest places on Earth found near the poles?
Q5. Why are places with high temperatures found at the equator?
Q6. How does latitude affect climate?

In Activity 1, you have learned that latitude affects the climate of an area.
The closer the place is to the equator, the warmer the climate is; the farther the
place is from the equator, the colder the climate is.

Perform the next activity to understand how altitude affects the climate of an area.

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Activity 2 – The Higher, the Colder

Objective: Explain how altitude affect climate

Materials: Pencil or ballpen

Ruler
Procedure:
Study the data presented on Table 1 below then answer the following questions.
Write your answers in your notebook/on a separate sheet of paper.

Name of Place Elevation above Annual average

sea level (m) temperature (0C)
Bacolod 11 27.1
Baguio 1445 19.3
Laoag 15 26.7
Manila 3.1 27.7
Tacloban 14.6 27.1
Tagaytay 560 24.0
Zamboanga 9.1 27.6

Table 1. Elevation and annual average temperature of selected areas in the country
Source: philatlas.com

Guide Questions:
Q1. Which place is the coldest?

Q2. Which place is the hottest?

Q3. Based on the data, what is the relationship between altitude and
temperature of a place?

Activity 2 gave you concrete evidence how altitude influences the climate of
different places. The air temperature decreases as the altitude increases. Places with
higher elevations have colder climates. Do the next activity for another factor that
affects climate.

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Activity 3. Which Should I Choose, Windward or Leeward?

Objective: To differentiate windward and leeward sides of a high land; and

To explain how topography affects climate

Materials: pencil or ballpen

An illustration of the windward and leeward sides of a mountain
Procedure:
Study the illustration below and answer the guide questions that follow. Write your
answers in your notebook/on a separate sheet of paper.

Source: Propofs.com (as of November 5, 2013)

Guide Questions:

Q1.What happens to water vapor as it rises over the mountain?

Q2. Which side of the mountain experiences low temperature?

Q3. Which side of the mountain experiences high temperature?

Q4.What happens when air becomes warmer and drier as it moves down the
leeward side?
Q5. What dry region forms at the back of the mountain?

Q6. How does topography affect climate?

Mountain is an example of a topographical feature of the land. Topography is

another factor that affects the climate of a certain place. Perform the next activity for
another factor that determines the climate of an area.

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Activity 4 – Ocean Currents

Objective: Explain how ocean currents affect climate

Materials: pencil/ballpen
map that illustrates ocean currents
ruler
short bond paper
Procedure:

Study the map below and answer the guide questions that follow. Write your answers
in your notebook/ on a separate sheet of paper.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/science/ocean-current

Guide Questions:

Q1. What are the different ocean currents that carry warm water? Give at least
three examples.
Q2. What are the different ocean currents that carry cold water? Give at least three
examples
Q3.What kind of air does Greenland Current take along? Explain.
Q4. How do the Kamchatka and Kuroshio Current affect the northeastern part and
southern part of Japan?
Q5. How do ocean currents affect climate change?

In this activity, you learned that ocean currents also have an important role
in changing the climate of a certain area. They affect the temperature of the nearby
landmass. Warm currents that move from the equator towards the pole carry warm
water. On the other hand, cold currents that travel from the poles toward the equator
carry cold water.

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 What Is It
Climate and weather are words which are commonly interchanged or
mistaken for one another. Climate is the general pattern of weather in a certain
area over a long period of time. On the other hand, weather is the condition of
the atmosphere at a specific place and time.
The climate of a particular place is affected by five factors. These are
latitude, altitude, bodies of water, topography, and ocean currents.

Latitude
Latitude is the measurement of distance north and south of the equator. These
are imaginary lines that form circles around the Earth’s east - west regions
parallel to the equator. Latitude influences the climate of a region because
different latitudes receive different amounts of solar radiation.

Figure 1
Source: https://www.birdvilleschools.net/

The above figure shows that the sun’s rays strike vertically in places
near the equator which makes the temperature in these areas higher. This
causes a warm climate in the region near the equator. Places that are not
vertically hit by the sun’s rays, experience cold climate. As the latitude increases,
the smaller the angle of the sun’s rays striking the surface. Therefore, when the
area is farther from the equator, the air temperature is lower. When the place is
closer to the equator, the air temperature is higher. So if you live close to the
equator, the climate will be warmer, while moving north or south from the
equator brings a cooler climate.

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Altitude

Figure 2
Source: https://somethingabouttomato.blogspot.com/

Next factor that affects climate is altitude. The altitude of a place

will affect the air temperature. Altitude refers to the elevation of a place above
sea level. Normally, climate conditions become colder as altitude increases
because the air temperature decreases as the altitude increases.
For every 1000 m, there is a drop of 6.50C. At higher elevation, there
is less air. The air molecules are farther apart, thus making the air less dense.
Lighter air cannot absorb much heat. Ultimately, the decrease in temperature is
due to the decrease in air pressure. This explains why Baguio, Mountain
Province, Tagaytay, and other highlands have colder climates as compared to
Bacolod, Manila and Tacloban which have lower altitudes.
At higher altitudes, the air is thinner. Imagine you are climbing a
mountain, why it's harder to breathe at high altitudes? Because there is less
oxygen. There's also less of everything else like carbon dioxide, water vapor,
etc. These gases, which are greenhouse gases, are the part of our atmosphere
which keep Earth at a warm temperature compared to outer space. Without
this atmosphere, Earth would be uninhabitably cold. So, even though higher
altitude areas are closer to the sun, they have less ability to absorb the warmth
of the sun because they have less of these gases.

Bodies of Water
Bodies of water also affect the climate of the nearby landmass. Large
bodies of water such as oceans, seas, and large lakes affect the climate of an
area. Water heats and cools more slowly than land. Therefore, in the summer,
the coastal regions will stay cooler and in winter warmer.
Land absorbs heat faster than water. At the same time, land releases
heat faster compared to water. This nature of water greatly influences the
climate.

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 Ocean Boundaries

Figure 3
Source: pinterest.ph

If there are no bodies of water to moderate the climate the same

conditions follow as with vast, flat plains. The climate condition is continental
with more extreme temperatures, a larger range, and less precipitation.
Places that are near the oceans have moderate climate as the body of
water regulates the temperature. Even as both land and water absorb the same
amount of heat, the temperature of water rises more slowly than that of land.
Because land heats up faster than water, air temperature above the sea is lower
than above the ground during daytime. Warm air thus moves out from land to
sea, slowing down the rise of air temperature above the land. Thus, places
without a body of water nearby tend to have higher temperature during daytime.
At night, land cools down faster than water, so the air temperature
above ground is lower than that above the sea. Warm air then flows from sea to
land, so the drop-in air temperature above the ground is moderated. Places that
are far from the bodies of water have extreme climates, as there are no immediate
bodies of water that will help circulate the movement of cold and warm air. The
reason why the temperature of water rises and falls more slowly than land is
that water has higher heat capacity. Because of this, water also absorbs more
heat in warm days and slowly releases it in cold days. That is why during
summer, places that are near a body of water will have moderate temperature
because water absorbs more heat.
Similarly, during winter, surrounding water slowly releases heat
causing the cooling effect to become lesser than normal in the nearby
landmass.

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Topography

Figure 4
Source: Propofs.com(as of November 5, 2013)

Topography is another factor that affects the climate of a certain place.

Mountain is an example of topographical features of the land. As you noticed,
the picture shows the two sides of the mountain. One side is facing the wing and
has low temperature. Clouds are forming here due to the condensation of water
vapor. This formation of clouds develops to become rain. On the other side of the
mountain, there is no cloud formation. The temperature is high and precipitation
does not happen. This results in the formation of a dry and warm region.
Mountainous areas greatly affect the amount of precipitation in a
certain region. The area in which the wind blows is called the windward side.
Here, the wind is blocked by the mountain, forcing it to move upward. As it
moves up, the water vapor condenses and forms clouds. This will result in
precipitation of the windward side. The air moves down towards the opposite
region called leeward side. The cold air mass starts to absorb heat and becomes
warm and dry. As the result, the area near the leeward side becomes dry and
has less precipitation. The dry region on the leeward side is called rain shadow.
Vegetation in this region includes desert plants and grassland.

Ocean Currents

Lastly, we have ocean currents that can increase or reduce the

temperatures of the nearby landmass. Ocean currents are created by wind, water
temperature, salt content, and the gravity of the moon. It has the role of keeping
our planet warm.
One way that the world’s ocean affects weather and climate is by
playing an important role in keeping our planet warm. The majority of
radiation from the sun is absorbed by the ocean, particularly in tropical waters
around the equator, where the ocean acts like a massive, heat-retaining
solar panel.

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Land areas also absorb some sunlight, and the atmosphere helps to retain heat
that would otherwise quickly radiate into space after sunset.
The ocean doesn't just store solar radiation; it also helps to distribute
heat around the globe. When water molecules are heated, they exchange freely
with the air in a process called evaporation. Ocean water is constantly
evaporating, increasing the temperature and humidity of the surrounding air to
form rain and storms that are then carried by trade winds. In fact, almost all
rain that falls on land starts off in the ocean. The tropics are particularly rainy
because heat absorption, and thus ocean evaporation, is highest in this area.

Figure 5
Source: oceanexplorer.noaa

The figure shows different loops and gyres of surface currents around
the world. In the Northern hemisphere, the current flows in a clockwise direction.
On the other hand, in the Southern hemisphere, the current flows in
counterclockwise direction. These clockwise and counterclockwise of ocean
currents are caused by the Coriolis effect. Ocean currents that flow away from
the equator carries warm water. The air above the water has higher temperature.
When ocean currents that bring cold water move towards a coastal region, the
temperature of the area decreases as warmer air from the land flows to the sea
resulting in a cold climate. When warm ocean currents that take long warm
water go to a land mass, the temperature of that place increases as warmer air
above the water flows inland, resulting in a warm climate.
All these five factors may affect the climate of an area. Climate may
differ from one place to another depending on latitude, altitude, bodies of
water, topography, and ocean currents. Now that you have learned the factors
affecting climate, you can now answer the succeeding activities.

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 What’s More

I. Directions: Write TRUE if the statement is correct and FALSE if otherwise. Write your
answers in your notebook/on a separate sheet of paper.

1. Climate is a general pattern of weather that occurs over a long period of time.
2. Weather is a condition of the atmosphere at a particular place over a short period of
time.
3. Places near the equator are experiencing colder climate than places far from the
equator
4. The climate in Baguio and Tagaytay are colder than the climate in Manila and Laoag.
5. Leeward side of the mountain is more suitable for vegetation than its windward side.

II. Directions: Unscrambled the letters to have the correct answers. The four pictures for
each number serve as clues. Write your answers on your notebook/on a separate sheet of
paper.

1. TUITALDE 2. NEACO ENTUCRR 3. HAOOPGTRPY

4. EUAILTTD 5. IESDOB FO RETWA

Source: heavy.com, en.wikepedia.org, worldatlas.com, mapscaping.com,

wahingtonature.com, timeadndate.com

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 What I Have Learned
I. Directions: Arrange the unscrambled letters which are enclosed in a parenthesis
to complete the paragraph. Write your answers in your notebook/ on a separate sheet of
paper.
The word (lcimaet) means the overall atmospheric condition of a place over a
long period of time, while the word (wtherea) is the condition in the atmosphere at a specific
place and time. Climate of an area is influenced by the following factors; (attudetil),
(ltdeuita), (ocnea) currents. (topphyotgra), and distance from the bodies of water.

II. Directions: Choose the appropriate word found inside the parentheses to complete the
paragraph. Write your answers on your notebook/on a separate sheet of paper.

Climate is warmer in a place (closer/farther) to the equator, has (higher/lower)

altitude or elevation, (far/near) from bodies of water, at the (leeward/windward) side of
the mountain, or when air from the ocean current comes from the equator. On the other hand,
climate is colder in a place that is (closer/farther) from the equator, has (higher/lower)
elevation, (far/near) from the bodies of water, at the (leeward/ windward) side of the
mountain, or when air from the ocean current comes from the poles.

What I Can Do
Directions: Follow the given instructions for your output in this module.
1. Suppose you are a tourist guide in a company and your job is to showcase
beautiful places in the country.
2. Choose (2) famous places in our country and explain the climatic condition.
3. Make a written report for these two places. Use the table below as a guide. Do
this in your notebook/on a separate sheet of paper.
Kindly paste Location Tell about the Climate
a picture of place like condition
this place giving its
characteristic,
why people visit
this place, etc...
1.
2.

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 Your will be guided by the rubrics indicated below.

Element Needs Fair Strong Excellent

Improvement 2 3 4
1
Evidence Little to no Attempts to Develops the Thoroughly
facts, concrete develop the topic topic with develops the topic
details, with facts, facts, concrete with relevant
qualifications, concrete details, details, facts, concrete
or examples and examples quotations details,
included but some of the and examples quotations, and
information is examples
not relevant
Explanation Little to no Explanation and Clear Clear and concise
and explanations analysis attempt explanation explanation and
Analysis or analysis of to discuss the and analysis analysis that
the information but that discusses thoroughly
information is unclear or most of the discusses the
presented lacks depth information information
presented presented
Conclusion Abrupt ending, Ends with a Finds with a Effectively ends
No concluding concluding concluding with a strong
statement statement that statement concluding
does not clearly about the statement
relate to the topic
topic

Source:https://catlintucker.com/2018/08/middle-school-writing-rubrics/

Assessment
Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer that best corresponds to each of
the following questions. Write your answer in your notebook/on a separate sheet of
paper.

1. Why do mountain climbers bring thick jackets when they go up the mountain?
a. The temperature increases as the altitude increases.
b. The temperature decreases as the altitude increases.
c. The altitude increases as the temperature increases.
d. The altitude decreases as the temperature increases.

2. What will happen if there is too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
a. Greenhouse effect occurs. C.Water vapor condenses.
b. Temperature increases. d. Climate changes.

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1
3. Why does cloud formation disappear as the air moves slowly towards the leeward
side of a mountain?
a. The air condenses as it moves to the leeward side.
b. The amount of water vapor is not enough.
c. The temperature becomes lower.
d. There is too much water vapor.

4. As you go to the top of the mountain, what happens to temperature?

a. it decreases c. it increases
b. it goes up and down d. it remains the same

5. It refers to the atmospheric condition of a place over a long period of time.

a. climate c. topography
b. monsoon d. weather

6. Which side of the mountain often receives the most precipitation?

a. leeward side c. rain shadow
b. peak d. windward side

7. What region receives the least amount of solar radiation?

a. equatorial region
b. polar region
c. temperate region
d. tropical region

8. Large bodies of water affect climate because .

a. water and land heat at the same rate
b. water and land cool at the same time
c. water heats up and cools faster than land
d. water heats up and cools more slowly than land

9. During summer, many people visit Baguio because of the cold weather. What do
you think makes Baguio cold?
a. The latitude c. The altitude
b. The topography d. The distance from the ocean

10. Why do places at the same latitude but different altitudes have
different climates?
a. Amount of heat received varies.
b. Amount of precipitation differs.
c. Higher altitudes have lower temperature.
d. Higher altitudes have higher temperature.

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Answer Key

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References

Book

Science 8 Learner’s Module. Campo, Pia C., et al. 2013. pp. 189-205.

Online Websites
Renuga (2011). Lower Secondary Physics Secondary 1 & 2 Science. Fairfield Book
Publishers, Singapore.

Gordon, Arnold L, Cenedese, Claudia. Ocean current. Encyclopaedia Britannica.

May 30, 2018 https://www.britannica.com/science/ocean-current

McDougall Littell (2005) Science. Houghton Mifflin Company. Evanston.IL.

Pople, Stephen (1996) Coordinated Science Physics. Oxford University Press,

Oxford. 2nd Ed.

http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Allesandro_EL/docs%20and%20temps/Diorama%20r
ubric.pdf GOVPH. Climate of the Philippines. Accessed January 13, 2021.

http://bagong.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/information/climate-philippines

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/noaa-n/climate/climate_weather.html
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., and excerpts from
NOAA's CPC web page, and the U.S. EPA web page. 2/2005

https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/factors-affecting-global-
climate-17079163/ Citation: Stevens, A. N.P. (2011) Factors Affecting Global
Climate. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):18

https://www.internetgeography.net/topics/what-factors-affect-climate/

https://www.acer-acre.ca/resources/climate-change-in-context/general-
concepts/proximity-to-water-bodies. 12 Helene Street North, Unit 1003
Mississauga, ON L5G 3B5
https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/climate.html#:~:text=Ocean%20currents%20 act%20as
%20conveyer,influencing%20both%20weather%20and%20climate.&text= Land%20areas
%20also%20absorb%20some,radiate%20into% 20space%20after%20 sunset.Ocean
Exploration and Research

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Email Address: *