Earth Science, Climatology, Meteorology

1. CLIMATOLOGY

2. Climatology seeks to explain:
• The causes of different types of climates
• The reasons for their variations
• Their general and Specific variation
• Their effect on natural vegetation
• The processes that produce different
• Detailed analysis of the interactions of
weather and climate elements with human
societies

3. CLIMATE
 From the Greek word
“klima” meaning
inclination/slope
altitude
 The weather
conditions prevailing
in an area in general
or over a long period
WEATHER
-- The state of the
atmosphere at any
given time denoting
the short term
variations of
atmosphere in terms of
temperature, pressure,
wind, moisture,
cloudiness,
precipitation and
visibility.

4. Brief history of climate:
 In the early 1900s, the climate of the world
began to warm
Figure 1-1 Global warming

5. Climate in the last 2400 years

6. EFFECTS OF THE COLD
TEMPERATURE:
 Social conflict
 Poor food production – caused
widespread hunger, war, pestilence
 in the 900s, the Vikings were invading
France, possibly driven from the more
northern latitudes by the cold
of that century

7. data from the Greenland ice core back to 10,000 BC
Figure 1-3 Climate of the last 12,000 years

8. Figure 1-4 Climate of the last 100,000 years

9. HOW DO WE KNOW ALL THESE
DATA?
 Ice records takes us back to 420,000
in the past
 Oxygen isotope records in sea floors
Ocean Drilling Project Site 607 – located
Northern Atlantic Ocean
 has climate data going back to about 3
million years

10. 1800-1870
 Level of carbon dioxide gas (CO2) in the
atmosphere, as later measured in ancient ice, is
about 290 ppm (parts per million). Mean global
temperature (1850-1870) is about 13.6°C.
 First Industrial Revolution. Coal, railroads, and
land clearing speed up greenhouse gas
emission, while better agriculture and sanitation
speed up population growth.

11. 1859
 Tyndall discovers that some gases
block infrared radiation. He
that changes in the concentration of
the gases could bring climate
change

12. 1870-1910
 Second Industrial Revolution. Fertilizers
and other chemicals, electricity, and
public health further accelerate
growth.

13. 1938
 Callendar argues that CO2 greenhouse
global warming is underway, reviving
interest in the question
1945
 US Office of Naval Research begins
generous funding of many fields of
science, some of which happen to be
useful for understanding climate
change

14. 1958
 Telescope studies show a greenhouse
effect raises temperature of the
atmosphere of Venus far above the boiling
point of water

15. 1967
 International Global Atmospheric Research
Program established, mainly to gather data for
better short-range weather prediction, but
including climate
 Manabe and Wetherald make a convincing
calculation that doubling CO2 would raise
world temperatures a couple of degrees
1969
 Astronauts walk on the Moon

16. 1970
 First Earth Day. Environmental movement
attains strong influence, spreads concern
about global degradation
 Creation of US National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, the world's
leading funder of climate research
 Aerosols from human activity are shown to be
increasing swiftly

17. 1991
 Mt. Pinatubo explodes; (by 1995)
computer models showed aerosol effects
2009
 Many experts warn that global warming is
arriving at a faster and more dangerous pace
than anticipated just a few years earlier
 Level of CO2 in the atmosphere reaches 385
ppm
 Mean global temperature (five-year average) is
14.5°C, the warmest in hundreds, perhaps
thousands of years

18.  Tropical Climate – those where heat is the
dominant problem where the annual mean
temperature is not less than 20 degrees Celsius
 E.g. Central America, South America, Caribbean,
Central, East and West Africa, Southeast Asia

19. OBSERVABLE ELEMENTS OF
CLIMATE.
Intensity and duration of Solar radiation.
Temperature
Humidity
Evaporation
Cloudiness and Fog
Precipitation
Visibility
Pressure
Winds

20.  PHYSICAL CLIMATOLOGY:
 The factors responsible for‫ادت‬ bringing
about the temporal and spatial variations in
heat exchange, moisture exchange and air
movement.
 Several observable element aid the
description
 Intensity and duration of solar radiation
 Temperature – Humidity -- Evaporation
 Cloudiness and Fog – Precipitation
 Visibility, barometric pressure and winds

21. APPLIED CLIMATOLOGY
Explore the relationship of
climate to other phenomena
and consider its potential
effect on human welfare –
Modification of climates to
meet human needs.

22. Agriculture:
Influence of climate elements on specific
crops and their productivity.
Threshold temperature [ Min temp for
growth]
Oats – 40 degrees Celsius
Sweet corn—10 degrees Celsius
Cotton – 17-18 degrees Celsius
Wet climate crops are most seriously
affected by chilling.
Agroclimatology

23.  Rice and cotton are killed by near freezing temperature
 The principal climatic factors affecting crop production
temperature, length of growing season, moisture
condition, Sunlight, & wind
 Low night temp is required – potatoes, sugar beets
 The greatest agriculture risk Unseasonable FROSTS Loss
of Millions of dollars—Sub tropical climate crops
Potatoes, Tomatoes, melons, citrus etc.

25. POULTRY
Hens lay larger eggs
in winter and at high
latitudes.
Fertility increase in
poultry in day light.
Lightening the
premises increases
the egg production.

26. HUMAN BIOCLIMATOLOGY
 Temperature, sunshine and humidity are
important climatic elements that affect
human body.
 Wind exerts influence on skin
temperature and body moisture.
 Changes in atmospheric pressure
influences circulatory and respiratory
systems.
 ‘clothing- the solution’

27. BIOCLIMATOLOGY
Temperature and humidity factors –for
release of pollen allergens.
Low temp- arthritis, stiff joints
swollen sinuses, and chill blains.
Dry air – chapped skin, inhibition of healing
of sores and wounds.
Hyperthermia- heat stroke
Hypothermia –frost bite

28. BIOCLIMATOLOGY
The Intense sunlight of the Arid tropics or
that off snow fields can cause- blindness,
headaches and related discomforts.
UV can cause premature ageing of skin and
sun-burn ( erythema ).
Air pollution

29.  Incidence, severity and spread of
diseases:
 In tropics and sub tropics –warm
climates –increase in parasites.
 Warm humid climates –Yellow
fever and malaria.
 In tropics- Leprosy. Winter in mid
latitudes- Pneumonia and
influenza.
 Rickets and certain skin diseases
respond to sunlight.

30. INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY
 1. Harvesting of Solar energy
 2.Wind energy
 3.Aviation
 4.Construction of Bridges and buildings [Architectural
climatology ]
 5.Water transport
 6.Railways
 7.Highways and Roadways
 8. Food processing
 9. Cosmetics
 10.Paper industries
 11.Photography
 12.Textiles