SCIENCE 9 MODULE
IMPACT OF
CLIMATE CHANGE
OBJECTIVES:
K – DESCRIBE CERTAIN CLIMATIC PHENOMENA THAT OCCUR ON
GLOBAL LEVEL
S – IDENTIFY THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
A – DIFFERENTIATE EL NIÑO AND LA NIÑA
WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE?
IT IS NATURAL PHENOMENON THAT HAS BEEN
OCCURING SINCE THE EARTH CAME INTO BEING.
IT IS A CHANGE IN THE AVERAGE WEATHER OF A
GIVEN AREA OR REGION.
WHAT IS EL NIÑO AND LA NIÑA?
EL NIÑO AND LA NIÑA ARE TWO EFFECTS OF
CLIMATE CHANGE. BOTH PHENOMENA ARE
INFLUENCED BY THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE IN
THE EQUATORIAL PACIFIC OCEAN.
EL NIÑO AND LA NIÑA
EL NIÑO AND LA NIÑA
EL NIÑO
IS AN ABNORMAL AND LENGTHYWARMING IN THE
EASTHERN PART OF THE PACIFIC [Link]
NATURAL PHENOMENON OCCURS AT IRREGULAR
INTERVALS OF TWO TO SEVEN YEARS IN LASTS
FOR NINE MONTHS OR TWO YEARS AT MOST.
USUALLY,IT STARTS AT THE END OF THE YEAR OR
DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON THAT IS WHY IT
IS TERMED AS EL NINO WHICH REFERS TO THE
“CHRIST CHILD”.
EL NIÑO
SINCE THE PACIFIC OCEAN IS TO THE EAST OF THE
PHILIPPINES,EL NINO PHENOMENON WILL AFFECT THE
[Link] THERE IS AN INCREASE OF THE TEMPERATURE
IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN,IT IS EXPECTED
THAT SOME AREAS IN THE PHILIPPINES WILL EXPERIENCE THIS
CLIMATIC [Link] AREAS IN THE COUNTRY WILL
EXPERIENCE NEAR TO ABOVE AVERAGE RAINFALL IN SOME
AREAS MAY EXPERIENCE DRIER THAN NORMAL RAINFALL. EL
NINO WILL MOST LIKELY BRING SEVERE DROUGHT.
LA NIÑA
IS THE OPPOSITE CLIMATIC DISTURBANCE TO EL [Link] NATURAL
PHENOMENON MAY,BUT DOES NOT ALWAYS,FOLLOW EL NINO
[Link] LAST FOR NINE TO TWELVE MONTHS BUT IN SOME
CASES,IT LASTS FOR TWO [Link] EVENT IS TRIGGERED BY THE
COOLING OF THE EASTERN PART OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN THAT IS
WHY IT IS SOMETIMES CALLED “COLD PACIFIC”.FOR
INSTANCE,AREAS THAT EXPERIENCED SEVERE DROUGHT CAUSED BY
EL NINO MAY ENCOUNTER ABOVE NORMAL [Link] IN SOME
CASES,AREAS THAT EXPERIENCE DRY SEASON WILL HAVE DRIER
THAN NORMAL [Link] NINA’S EFFECTS ARE THE OPPOSITE
OF EL NINO.
DIFFERENCES OF EL NIÑO AND LA NIÑA
EL NIÑO - IS AN LA NIÑA - HOWEVER IS THE
ABNORMAL LENGHTY OPPOSITE. THIS NATURAL
WARMING IN THE EASTERN PHENOMENON MAY, BUT
PART OF THE PACIFIC NOT ALWAYS, FOLLOW EL
[Link] PHENOMENON NIÑO EVENTS. THIS EVENT
OCCURS TWO TO SEVEN IS TRIGGERED BY THE
YEARS AND LAST FOR 9 COOLING OF THE EASTERN
MONTHS. PART OF PACIFIC OCEAN.
EFFECTS OF EL NIÑO AND LA NIÑA
o DECREASE ON THE NUMBERS OF GLACIERS
DUE TO THE EXTREME RISE IN TEMPERATURE, ICE IS MELTING WORLD WIDE.
o RISE OF SEA LEVEL
BECAUSE OF THE MELTING OF ICE, THE GLOBAL SEA LEVELS ARE RISING AT A FASTER
RATE.
o MANY SPECIES ARE ON THE MOVE
RISING TEMPERATURES ARE AFFECTING WILDLIFE AND THEIR HABITATS INCLUDING THOSE
THAT ARE AFFECTED BY THE MELTING OF ICE, LIKE THE PENGUINS. SOME BUTTERFLIES,
FOXES, AND ALPINE PLANTS HAVE MIGRATED FARTHER NORTH OR TO HIGHER, COOLER
AREAS.
o INCREASE OF PRECIPITATION AND SEVERE DROUGHT
INCREASE IN TEMPERATURE CAN ALSO LEAD TO EXCESSIVE EVAPORATION OF WATER
WHICH CAN TRIGGER DRY WEATHER IN SOME AREAS AND HEAVY PRECIPITATION. DROUGH
EFFECTS OF EL NIÑO AND LA NIÑA
o WATER SHORTAGES
WATERS ARE AT RISK OF POLLUTION BECAUSE OF FLOOD RUNOFFS. FLOOD WATER
CARRIES VARIOUS POLLUTANTS THAT CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT THE AQUATIC LIFE AND
WATER RESEVOIR. DRINKING WATER CAN ALSO BE OF SHORTAGE BECAUSE OF THIS.
MEANWHILE, DRY AREAS HAVE LESS WATER SUPPLY THAT CAN SUPPORT ECONOMIC
ACTIVITIES. LACK OF WATER SUPPLY ALSO AFFECTS THE GROWTH OF CROPS.
o EMERGENCE OF CLIMATE-SENSITIVE DISEASES
INTENSE RISE OF TEMPERATURE CAUSES VARIOUS DISEASES INCLUDING THOSE THAT
COME INSECTS. THESE DISEASES AND ILLNESSES INCLUDE: HEAT STROKE FROM
PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO THE SUN WITHOUT GETTING ENOUGH WATER; DENGUE FROM
DENGUE VIRUS-BEARING MOSQUITOES THAT STRIVE IN AREAS WITH WARMER CLIMATES
AND MORE RAINFALL; WATER-BORNE DISEASES LIKE LEPTOSPIROSIS FROM POLLUTED
FLOOD WATER; FOOD-BORNE DISEASE FROM FOODS CONTAMINATED BY BACTERIA THAT
STRIVE BEST IN HOT WEATHER.