Handout in Science VII

Zamboanga del Sur National High School

Prepared by: Lyndelove A. Lagdamin

Land and Sea Breezes

As the names suggest, the two breezes occur along coastal areas or areas with adjacent large water
bodies. Water and land have different heating abilities. Water takes a bit more time to warm up and is able to
retain the heat longer than land does.

Now let us see the two diagrams below:

In the day, when the sun is up, the

land heats up very quickly and the air above
it warms up a lot more than the air over the
water. The warm air over the land is less
dense and begins to rise. Low pressure is
created.
The air pressure over the water is
higher with cold dense air, which moves to
occupy the space created over the land. The
cool air that comes along is called a sea
breeze.

In the night, the reverse happens. The land

quickly loses its’ heat whiles the water retains its’
warmth. This means the air over the water is warmer,
less dense and begins to rise. Low pressure is created
over the water. Cold and dense air over the land begins
to move to the water surface to replace the warmer
rising air. The cool breeze from the land is called a
land breeze.

Mountain and Land Breeze

In a similar behavior as land and sea breezes, mountains (hilly) and surrounding valleys also have
breezes called Mountain and Valley Breezes.

During the day, the air over the mountain

slope heats up more than the air at the foot of the
mountain. The warm air over the slope reduces in
density. A low pressure is created at the top of the
mountain and high pressure from the cool air
below forces a cool breeze to move upward. This
condition generates a breeze which we call Valley
breeze, and it is very common during warmer
months when there is a lot of heating from the
sun.

In the night, it is a lot cooler as the sun goes

to sleep. So the air at the upper slope of the mountain
cools off very quickly and becomes dense. A high
pressure is created. At this time, the air at the valley
floor is a lot warmer (low pressure) and is forced to
give way to colder air moving down the slope towards
the valley floor. This is called mountain breeze, and it
is a lot common in the colder months when there is
less warming from the sun.
 Monsoon
A major wind system that seasonally reverses its direction — such as one that blows for approximately
six months from the northeast and six months from the southwest. The most prominent monsoons occur in
South Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific coast of Central America. Monsoonal tendencies also are
apparent along the Gulf Coast of the United States and in central Europe; however, true monsoons do not
occur in those regions.

What causes monsoons?

The primary cause of monsoons lies in different warming trends over land and sea, though other factors
may be involved.
 Seasonal changes in temperature are large over land but small over ocean waters, and monsoons blow
from atmospheric heat sinks (that is, cold regions with high atmospheric pressure) toward heat
sources (warm regions characterized by low atmospheric pressure). Consequently, monsoon winds
typically travel from sea to land in summer and from land to sea in winter. The pole ward limits of
monsoon systems are often sites of sharp
 Changes in wind direction. In India, for example, the monsoon blows from the southwest in July and
August, and north of India the winds are from the east. In northern Australia the monsoon arrives
from the northwest during January-February. At the southern limit of the Australian monsoon, the
winds turn easterly.
 Climatic patterns reminiscent of monsoons also occur in areas outside of the prominent monsoon
regions. In central Europe, where the average wind direction in summer differs some 30° to 40° from
that of the Atlantic, there are monsoonal tendencies that occur not as a continuous flow but rather
intermittently within frontal depressions, bringing cool, cloudy weather, rain, and thunderstorms.
Some see in this climatic pattern a true monsoon, but it is obvious that it is only an “embryo
monsoon” that results in weather singularities. The latitude is too high for a true monsoon to arise

The Effects of the Monsoon

Though monsoons are often associated with devastating effects, including famine, the overall effects of
the season are positive.
,

 Drought: The countries affected by monsoon season welcome the rain as a point at which drought
ends. However, if the rainfall in this season is below average then further drought can be devastating.
This leads to food supplies dwindling and crops unable to grow, and many of the area's inhabitants
may die of famine.
 Floods: Those who make their living from the land welcome the season, where the rains will make a
large contribution to the crops they produce. However, when too much rain comes in a short period of
time this can cause flash floods that not only damage crops and drown livestock, but also harm
inhabitants of the area. However, in less extreme forms these floods help to fertilize the soil.
 Agriculture and Economy: The patterns of the monsoon have a huge impact on farmers and their crops
and livestock. If the rains don't come as expected then farming patterns can be disrupted. Not to
mention the effects of drought and flood, as covered above. The economy of many Indian countries
greatly depends on agriculture, meaning that the disruption not only harms health and availability of
food, but the economy as a whole and food prices rise dramatically.

Monsoons in the Philippines

1. Hanging Amihan
In the Philippines, amihan refers to the season dominated by the trade winds, which are experienced in
the Philippines as a cool northeast wind. It is characterized by moderate temperatures, little or no rainfall, and a
prevailing wind from the east.
As a rule of thumb, the Philippines' amihan weather pattern begins sometime in September or
October and ends sometime in May or June.
Hanging Amihan or Northeast Monsoon comes from within September. Around September, with the sun
fast retreating south, the northern land mass of the Indian subcontinent begins to cool off rapidly. With this air
pressure begins to build over northern India, the Indian Ocean and its surrounding atmosphere still holds its
heat. This causes the cold wind to sweep down from the Himalayas and Indo-Gangetic Plain towards the vast
spans of the Indian Ocean south of the Deccan peninsula.
2. Hanging Habagat
The Philippines experiences the west or southwest wind; south west monsoon, which in turn is referred to
as the habagat. The habagat season is characterized by hot and humid weather, frequent heavy rainfall, and a
prevailing wind from the west.
Hanging Habagat or Southwest Monsoon is a south western monsoon which comes during the months of
June-September. The Thar Desert and adjoining areas of the northern and central Indian subcontinent heats up
considerably during the hot summers, which causes a low pressure area over the northern and central Indian
subcontinent. To fill this void, the moisture-laden winds from the Indian Ocean rush in to the subcontinent.
These winds, rich in moisture, are drawn towards the Himalayas, creating winds blowing storm clouds towards
the subcontinent. The Himalayas act like a high wall, blocking the winds from passing into Central Asia, thus
forcing them to rise. With the gain in altitude of the clouds, the temperature drops and precipitation occurs. Some
areas of the subcontinent receive up to 10,000 mm (390 in) of rain.
Why do farmers welcome the monsoons?
Farmers need to know when these monsoons occur to determine when to plant and harvest crops.
Why do fishermen not so happy about monsoons?
For fishermen, the monsoons mean less catch because they cannot go far out the sea.
High and Low Pressure Areas
The unequal heating of the Earth’s surface results in the formation of high and low pressure areas.
As the warm air rises in the atmosphere ,a large area with pressure than normal is formed. This is called LOW.
The warm air resis in one area sinks and descends in another area cooled. As cold air descends in the lower atmosphere,
a large area with pressure higher than normal is produced .This area called HIGH. The difference in pressure between a
high and low areas causes the wind to blow from high to low
However, as the winds blow, they are deflected due to CORIOLIS EFFECT. Winds that move along the Erath’s
surface toward the low pressure center rotate in a counterclockwise direction. Such low pressure area with its
counterclockwise system of revolving winds is called a CYCLONE. As cold air descends in high ,the air rushes outward in
all directions as it reaches the surface. Again the coriolis effect deflects the winds to the right causing the clockwise
rotation of the air .Such high pressure area with its clockwise system of revolving winds is called ANTICYCLONE usually
bring good weather.

CORIOLIS EFFECT
The observed effect of the Coriolis force, especially the deflection of objects or substances (such as air) moving
along the surface of the Earth, rightward in the Northern Hemisphere and leftward in the Southern Hemisphere

Different types of tropical Cyclones

Tropical cyclones are given different names to show how fast the winds are. It classified according to wind velocity.
1 knot - 1.85 km per hour

Type of Disturbances Wind Speed in Km/h Wind Speed in Knots

Low Pressure Less than 31 Less than 17

Depression 31-49 17-27

Deep Depression 49-61 27-33

Cyclonic Storm 61-88 33-47

Severe Cyclonic Storm( typhoon) 88-117 47-63

Super Cyclone(Super typhoon) More than 221 More than 120

Cyclones are classified into five different levels on the basis of wind speed. They are further divided into the
following categories according to their capacity to cause damage.
Cyclone Category Wind Speed in Km/h Damage Capacity

01 120-150 Minimal

02 150-180 Moderate

03 180-210 Extensive

04 210-250 Extreme

05 250 and above Catastrophic

 Storm surges (tidal waves) are defined as the rise in sea level above the normally predicted astronomical tide.
Major factors include:
 A fall in the atmospheric pressure over the sea surface
 Effect of the wind
 Influence of the sea bed
 A funneling effect
 The angle and speed at which the storm approaches the coast
 The tides

Note: The peak of typhoon season on the Philippines is from JUNE TO DECEMBER

Since 1963, PAGASA has independently operated its own naming scheme for tropical cyclones, that occur within
its own self-defined Philippine Area of Responsibility. The names are taken from four different lists of 25 names and are
assigned, when a system moves into or develops into a tropical depression within PAGASAs self-defined area of
responsibility.[16][10] The four lists of names are rotated every four years, with the names of significant tropical cyclones
retired, should they have caused at least ₱1 billion in damage and or at least 300 deaths within the Philippines. Should
the list of names for a given year be exhausted, names are taken from an auxiliary list, the first ten of which are published
every year.

List of Philippine region tropical cyclone names

2016

Ambo Butchoy Carina Dindo Enteng Ferdie Gener Helen Igme Julian Karen Lawin Marce

Main

Nina Ofel Pepito Quinta Rolly Siony Tonyo Ulysses Vicky Warren Yoyong Zosimo

Auxiliary Alakdan Baldo Clara Dencio Estong Felipe Gomer Heling Ismael Julio

January to end of April can be considered as storm/typhoon free months. May and June and later in the year
November and December are moderate with an average of 2 storms/typhoons making landfall in the Philippines.

But from July to end of October there are up to 6 tropical storms or typhoons making landfall in the Philippines.
Most typhoons hit northern Luzon with a yearly average of 3.7 storms. Then follow the Central Visayas with 2.
storms per year and the Eastern Visayas - Leyte/Samar with 1.9 storms. The Bicol region and the National Capital Region
(NCR) count 1.2 storms that make landfall.
The safest regions are Mindanao and southern Palawan. South-western Mindanao nearly never gets hit by a
strong storm.

Intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)- Also called equatorial convergence zone

.The Intertropical Convergence Zone, or ITCZ, is the

region that circles the Earth, near the equator, where the trade
winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together.
The intense sun and warm water of the equator heats the air in
the ITCZ, raising its humidity and making it buoyant. Aided by
the convergence of the trade winds, the buoyant air rises. As the
air rises it expands and cools, releasing the accumulated
moisture in an almost perpetual series of thunderstorms.
Seasonal shifts in the location of the ITCZ drastically
affects rainfall in many equatorial nations, resulting in the wet
and dry seasons of the tropics rather than the cold and warm
seasons of higher latitudes. Longer term changes in the ITCZ can
result in severe droughts or flooding in nearby areas.