Weather and climate

 Difference between weather and climate::

 Weather is rainfall ofr short periond of time
 Climate is weather conditions for a long period of
time
Climatic zones

 Highland climate
 Lowland climate
 Arid climate
 Coastal climate
Highland climate

 N, NW and W highlands
 Winters: long, cold, snowy
 Summers: short ,mild
 Height of n. mountains 2000m to 8000 meter.
 Western mountains 1000 to 4000 meter
 High rainfall in northern mountains
 Gilgit n Chitrral rain shadow areas low rainfall.
 Rainfall decreases from north to south in western mountains.
 Temperature dependent on altitude..
 North high temp as compared to western mountain.
 Summers are short, mild and wet in north
 Dry and warm in west
 Lowland/semi arid climate
 Whole of the Indus plains except the coastal area
 Most part of Indus plains lie at the west end ot the tropical
monsoon
 Has arid and extreme climate with hot summers,
 Cool winters
 Amount of rainfall differs from north to south.
 Foothills of northern mountains and potwar plateau are wetter
than the Indus plains and also receive rainfall from western
depressions
 Thunderstorm common in the north and northwestern areas of
Indus plains
 The southern upper Indus plains and the whole of lower Indus
plains have much less rainfall and spells of very high temperature.
 Coastal climate
 Southern coastal strip comprising of Indus delta, Karachi whole of makran coast.
 Climate dominated by see breezes throughout the year.
 The maritime influence keeps the daily range of temperature low.
 Influence of sea is felt mainly through the prevailing winds.
 Temperature at sea and on land is different owing to unequal heating of land and water by
the sun.
 Land and water absorb the sins heat at different rates and also radiates and loose it at
different rates.
 In summer the land heats up, while the ocean remains comparatively cool. In winter land
looses heat quickly and becomes cold while the ocean is much warmer and keeps its warmth
for a long time.
 Humidity level is moderately high, exceeding more than 50% from April to September.
 Mean monthly temperature is 32c and may June and oct- nov are the hottest months.
 Dry hot winds dominate from the south eastern desert I October.
 Scanty rainfall through the year
 Most rainfall received in monsoon
 While in makran coast it falls in winter.
Arid climate
 Location: southwestern Baluchistan and south
eastern desert.
 Climate is dry and hot
 Hot dusty winds prevail form mid may to mid
September.
 Scanty rainfall in south western Baluchistan
occur during winter season
 SW desert summer monsoon bring little rainfall
 Extreme heat, dryness and dust storms are main
features of this arid climate.
Pakistan seasons

 Pakistan seasons:
 Winter (mid December -march)
 Early summer (April to June)
 monsoon (July to September)
 Post monsoon (October to mid- December)
Climatic elements

 Temperature
 Pressure
 Rainfall
 Winds
 These are responsible for the regional and
seasonal variations in the climate of Pakistan
 temperature
 Temperature distribution: (NS):
 Summer decreases form south to north
 Winter: increases from north to south
 Temperature distribution(EW):
 Summer: eastern Pakistan is hotter than western Pakistan
 Winter: western Pakistan is colder than east.
 Large spread of latitude from 24 to 37 degrees
 Diversity of relief from 8610 meter mountain north to sea
level in south coast.
 UIP and LIP heats up in summer making daily temperature
rise up to 40c to 45c which is very hot
 Jacobabad is called thermal pole of subcontinent where
maximum temperature reaches to 53c in June and mean
monthly max temperature rises to 43c in may and June.
 Factors affecting Temperature:
 Altitude:
 Altitude  air density  temperature
 Air dense (absorb most water, dust particle and solar
radiations.)at sea level
 rare(least dense) at altitudes less solar radiations absorbed
 With less air to absorb heat at higher altitude there is an
average drop of temperature of 6c in temprature for each1000
meter increase in altitude.

 Latitude:
 Areas closer to equator receive relatively direct rays of the sun
resulting in high temperature.
 South Pakistan is closer to the equator than northern Pakistan
 Factors affecting
temperature
 Clouds
 Affect temperature to some extent
 At day time reduce incoming insulation by reflecting it back
into outer space resulting in drop in day temperature.
 At night the clouds trap outgoing heat , as a result
temperature on the cloudy night does not drop as low as the
temperature on the clear night.
 Continental effect:
 Covering climate of those areas unaffected by maritime
influence/influence of sea
 No moderating effect of see breeze
 Extreme winter and summer temperature is recorded in
interior of large landmasses away from the sea.
 Factors affecting temperature
 Latitude and angle of the sun:
 Angle of the sun refer to the position of the earth
in relation to the sun.
 Summer: northern hemisphere is tilted towards
the sun therefore land absorbs more heat because:
 Of the angle of the sun and
 It faces the sun for longer duration(longer days and
shorter nights.)
 Winter: northern hemisphere is tilted away form the
sun (low angle of the sun) so earth absorbs less heat
and faces the sun for shorter duration (shorter days
and longer nights)
Are these factors for affecting
temperature?
 Maritime influence:
 Angle of the sun:
 Winds/storms:
 and precipitation:
Temperature key
Temperature Description
40c and above Very hot
31c to 30c Hot
21 to 30c Warm
10c to 20c Mild
3c to 9c Cool
-5c to 2c Cold
Below -5c Verycold
Precipitation:

 Precipitation mean rainfall, snowfall, hailstone,

sleet(rain containing some ice)
 Types of precipitation:
 Regional Rainfalls:
 Monsoon:
 Western depressions
 Tropical Cyclones
 Local rainfalls
 Relief rainfalls
 Thunderstorms/convectional rainfalls
Monsoon rainfall
MONSOON RAINFALL
monsoon
 Timeline:
 July-mid September
 Source: bay of Bengal (Indian ocean)
 Types:
 SW monsoon (summer)
 NE monsoon (winter)
 Route:
 Possesses through Bangladesh and India,
 Enter Pakistan form north east
 Cause rainfall in major parts of Pakistan
Types of monsoon
SW monsoon (summer)
NE monsoon (winter)
Impact of monsoon:

 Positive impact:
 Water storage in dams for HEP and irrigation
 Summer crops are grown in Indus plains
 Weather become pleasant
 Negative impact
 River floods
 Flash floods/urban floods
 Cloud burst
 EFFECTIVENESS OF MONSOON
(time & area)
Early arrival:
Difficult to plan cultivation

Late arrival:
Stunted growth of crops

Dry spells:
Creates droughts/ less crop
production/
starvation/import of
food items

Extensive monsoon
causing floods:
Rich alluvium for crops, soil
erosion, crops
destroyed, cultivated
area inundated/water
logged.
Monsoon rainfall

 How monsoon developed!!!

 High temperature in summer
 Land and sea combination
 High temperature cause low air pressure on land
area and high air pressure on Indian ocean
 Pressure difference create movement of winds
form bay of Bengal to India and Pakistan
 Condensation in a particular area cause rainfall
Conclusion:

 What is meant by SW and SE monsoons?

 What is meant by alluvium?
 Why is the tail of monsoon reached in Pakistan?
 Monsoons come in:
 Heavy shower
 Slow shower
 What are the effects of heavy and slow shower rainfall?
 Why monsoon winds start to blow form sea towards
land?
 What is meant by land continent?
 Why is pressure difference created between land and
sea?
Factors affecting rainfall

 Altitude
 Changes in temperature
 Winds
 Coastal influence
 Temperature inversion layer

Climatic hazards
Western depressions

 W.D are cyclones, originate in Mediterranean

sea, travel across Iran and Afghanistan and its
tail reach the western areas of Pakistan.
 After northwestern areas of Pakistan turn
towards south and south western Pakistan.
 Moisture is robbed
 Cause rainfall from December to march
 E.g. Quetta receive most of its rainfall from
winter season
Convectional currents
 At the start of summer
 Hot air rises upcontaining high moisture
 At higher levels of atmospherecondensation takes place
 This causes rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms.
 Rainfall received by northern and north western areas of
pakistan
 Sothno rainfall because of temprature inversion layer.
 Early summer and early winters is the time period of
convectional rainfall.
 No condensation takes place at 1600m because of temprature
invesion layer.
 So warm air descends and no rainfall takes place
 Karachi receive no rainfall from these currents as temprature
is above 40c in this time period
Relief rainfall

 Related to the height of the land

 When moist unstable air moves up a mountain or scarp
edge, and it is chilled. this chilling causes heavy
condensation and precipitation on the windward side.
 Leeward side receive sinking warm air and a dry rain
shadow area lie there.
 It happens in all areas except rain shadow like gilgit.
 Chitral is also a rain shadow area.
 This rain occur in north and north western areas.
 Murree and Kakul receive rainfall in all seasons and from
relief rainfall as well.
Tropical cyclones

 Few hours of heavy rainfall with destructive

winds to the coastal area.
 Originate in Arabian sea but rarely reach
Pakistan coast
 Usually once every few years.
 Unreliable rainfall in terms of when and
where it will occur.
Pressure and winds
 Summer  high temperature in central Pakistan
 Causes hot air to rise forming low pressure zone
 At the same time sea has comparatively low temperature
 Because water discharges and absorb heat slowly as
compared to land
 In summer air pressure is high in sea as compared the land
 This helps the movement of monsoon winds (moisture laden)
from sea to land, causing heavy rainfall to the upper and lower
Indus plains
 Winter: whole situation is reversed, high pressure establish on
land area as compared to ocean because of same phenomena.
 This time winds blow from land to sea, cause no rainfall called
winter monsoon, or north eastern monsoon.
 Sources of rainfall in climatic zones
Climatic zones Sources of rainfall

Highland zone Relief

Monsoon
Thunderstorm
Western depressions

Lowland zone Convectional rainfall in northern Punjab

Western depressions in northern Punjab
Monsoon rainfall

Coastal zone Monsoon rainfall

Sindh coast
W. Depressions Makran coast
Tropical cyclones

Arid zone Little rainfall form monsoon winds and

western depressions
 Effectiveness of rainfall
 Monsoon: variable in amount, timings, distribution
 High temperature conduction form June to September (evapo-
transpiration)
 Heavy shower not useful for crop (less absorption)
 Most of monsoon water drain away causing floods
 Variable nature affects crop planning
 Tiny part of Potwar plateau is canal farming rest is barani farming
 Winter rainfall is in low shower very effective for aborption but
duration is very short so not effective
 Only occur in western and northern region
 Coastal and south pakistan have to depend upon monsoon
rainfall.
 Canal irrigation not possible in potwar plateau so mostly rain fed.
Factors accounting for climatic
variations
 Latitudinal effect
 Relief rainfall and w. depressions due to altitude
 Monsoon winds
 Maritime climate
 Convectional currents
 Continental effects
 Temperature inversion layer in south
 Tropical cyclones from Arabian sea
Climatic hazards

 Floods
 Storms
 droughts
Floods:

 Types of floods:
 River floods
 Urban floods
 Torrential floods
 causes of floods:
 Natural:
 Melting of snow during summer
 Heavy monsoon rainfall
 Human:
 Cutting of trees on th foothills increses surface run off
 Failure to strengthen or heighten embankemts along river side
 Dam failure to store extra water due to less capacity
How to control flood

 Planting tress on foothills

 Enlarging the river channel
 Building embankments on either side
 Building reservoirs on the rivers
 Prevent flooding in risk zones
 Warnings through radio, tv and news papers
 Evacuation of flood effectees and providing
facilities.
Negative Impact of floods :

 Farmers:
 Cant use land untill water drained away
 Alluvium make soil fertile
 Destruction of crops
 Loss of food supplies
 Local residents:
 Houses cut off from shops and services
 Mud houses and huts severly damages
 Water born diseases
 Transport authorities:
 Road and railway tracts damaged
 Old routes difficut to follow if damaged by waater
Positive impact of floods:

 Return nutrients to the land  contribute to health of

wet lands e.g. Indus delta
 Distribute fresh sediment and refresh streams. (alluvium)
make soil fertile cultivation of rice in flood plains
 Rivers and stream overflow prevent more serious
flooding downstream
 High fish proudction in arabian sea due to nutrient rich
delta in indus plains
 Repruduction and breeding of freshwater fish finely
tuned and adjusted to the monsoon rain.
 Recharge ground watersupply
Solutions/precautions/remedies

 Livestock and precious belongings moved to safe

places
 Residents safely moved/ areas evacuated
 Basic life necessities provided
 Diversion and warning signs by transport authorities
 Repair of road and railway tracts on emergency basis
 Installing embankments
 Medical help
 Residences rebuilt
 Loans given for the losses
Storms:

 Types of storms:
 Thunderstorms
 Common in northern and north-western areas of pakistan
 Duration: april - june and sept – oct
 Acccompanied by convectional rainfalls
 Stormy winds 60-80 km/h
 Cause destruction of apples, pears and other crops
 Dust storms :
 Summer season in southern plains and nort-western parts of baluvchistan
 Strong winds due to low pressure
 Sometimes it hit uper indus plians
 Damage crops and orchars
 Roofs of houses badly affected
 Electriiciy and communicaiotn also disrupted
 Less frequent an dlocalized.
 storms
 Tropical Cyclone
 From arabian sea, affect coast of sinddh and balochistan
 May 1099 cyclone 2A , hitting coastal areas of sindh damaging
people and their belongings
 Needs relief teams to be on time
 Facilities like flood management system needed. Proper warning
system, and relief teams to handle calamity.
 Snow storms
 In northern mountain,in winter december and january
 Causing roads blocked, landsliding, avalanches
 Casualities to people when trapped particularly tourists
 Sand storms:
 In desert areas in the months of summer
 impact of Storms
 Droughts:
 Types of droughts:
 Permanent droughts:
 When crop cultivation is not possible without irrigation
e.g.. Thal, Cholistan, Chaghai
 Seasonal droughts :
 Occur in areas with well defined rainy and dry season i.e.
Potwar plateau, south Punjab
 Invisible droughts:
 Water deficiency that reduces crop yield
 Not sever to destroy crops
 Unpredictable droughts:
 Resulted form abnormally low rainfall and occur in areas
which have humid climate
Causes of droughts:
 Natural factors:
 Unreliable monsoon droughts may lead to seasonal
droughts in punjab and sindh
 Dry and hot winds reduce mositure content of sandy
soillowering himidity in the air.
 Global climate is constantly changing leading gto
changes in pakisan climate.
 Human factors:
 Deforestatonincrease soil erosionreduce rainfall
 Mismanagement of waterseepage form unlined canals
 Unfair distribution of water betwwen provinces.
 Overgrazingsoil erosionreducing soil fertility
 Global warming climate change
 droughts
 Effects of Droughts :
Effects on physical environment Human environment

Desertificatonexposed soilsoil Populationwidespread

erosiondust storms , estention of faminestarvationmalnutrition,
desert areas, rise in temprature, loss of heelth problemsloss of lives
vegetation, extinctionof species migrationbreaking rural
socialsetupnomadic lifestyle

Drying of rivers lakes and streamsloss Economy: crop failure, death of

of fisheries, growth of algae, unsafe livestockshortage of raw material for
 Drought management
drinking water industriesreduced exports,increased
importsdevastation of economy

Drop in water tableless water for

plants and humans ground wate
depletion
Drought affected areas

 Baluchistan and Sindh

 Over 3.3 million people have been affected 
now refuges
 Hundreds of people have been died of thirst
and starvation
 30 million livestock have been affected
 2 million of livestock died
 No serious amount of rain is expected
2000-1 droughts in Pakistan
 Permanent and seasonal droughts affected
desert areas of Sindh and Baluchistan
 26 districts in Baluchistan affected form severe
famine
 Famine reached crisis point in 22 districts
 Many people trapped in inaccessible area
 20,000 families and more than a million cattle
severely affected.
 Drought management
 Drought management:
 Water storage schemes:
 Reservoirs of dams, tanks
 Irrigation canals to grow crops
 Afforestation
 Use of new technology:
 Desalination of sea water
 Reclaiming waste water and turning into clean water
 Using drought resistant varieties of crops
 Planning and management of water resources:
 Conservation of water to avoid shortage
 Setting priorities for allocation of water for different uses.