La Niña

La Niña

          La Niña is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon that is the counterpart of El Niño as part of the broader El Niño-Southern Oscillation climate pattern. During a period of La Niña, the sea surface temperature across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal by 3–5 °C. In the United States, an episode of La Niña is defined as a period of at least 5 months of La Niña conditions. The name La Niña originates from Spanish, meaning "the girl," analogous to El Niño meaning "the boy."

          La Niña, sometimes informally called "anti-El Niño", is the opposite of El Niño, where the latter corresponds instead to a higher sea surface temperature by a deviation of at least 0.5 °C, and its effects are often the reverse of those of El Niño. El Niño is famous due to its potentially catastrophic impact on the weather along both the Chilean, Peruvian, New Zealand, and Australian coasts, among others. It has extensive effects on the weather in North America, even affecting the Atlantic Hurricane Season. La Niña is often, though not always, preceded by an El Niño.

Effects of La Niña

          The results of La Niña are mostly the opposite of those of El Niño; for example, El Niño would cause a dry period in the Midwestern U.S., while La Niña would typically cause a wet period in that area. La Niña often causes drought conditions in the western Pacific; flooding in northern South America; mild wet summers in northern North America, and drought in the southeastern United States.

          For India, an El Niño is often a cause for concern because of its adverse impact on the south-west monsoon; this happened in 2009. A La Niña, on the other hand, is often beneficial for the monsoon, especially in the latter half. The La Niña that appeared in the Pacific in 2010 probably helped 2010's south-west monsoon end on a favourable note. But then, it also contributed to the deluge in Australia, which resulted in one of that country's worst natural disasters with large parts of Queensland either under water from floods of unusual proportions or being battered by tropical cyclones, including that of category 5 Tropical Cyclone Yasi. It wreaked similar havoc in south-eastern Brazil and flooding that have affected Sri Lanka.

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a.) Today I learned that La Niña is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon that is the counterpart of El Niño as part of the broader El Niño-Southern Oscillation climate pattern. The results of La Niña are mostly the opposite of those of El Niño.

b.) I will apply my learnings about La Niña in weather acquinted things, such as weather forecasts or the current weather.

c.) Learning about this phenomenon is important because it serves as the connection between me and this phenomenon. Just as it affects me, I learn more about it.

d.) On  larger scale, I will share my learnings about this phenomenon to others because I want them to be able to relate on what we experience and explain it to themselves alone.

e.) I need to know more about this happening and a deeper explanation on how or why it occurs.

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And that's all for today! Hope you learned something

famlei

El Nino

El Nino
          El Niño/La Niña-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, is a quasiperiodic climate pattern that occurs across the tropical Pacific Ocean roughly every five years. The Southern Oscillationrefers to variations in the temperature of the surface of the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean (warming and cooling known as El Niño and La Niña respectively) and in air surface pressure in the tropical western Pacific. The two variations are coupled: the warm oceanic phase, El Niño, accompanies high air surface pressure in the western Pacific, while the cold phase, La Niña, accompanies low air surface pressure in the eastern Pacific. Mechanisms that cause the oscillation remain under study.

The extremes of this climate pattern's oscillations, El Niño and La Niña, cause extreme weather (such as floods and droughts) in many regions of the world. Developing countries dependent upon agriculture and fishing, particularly those bordering the Pacific Ocean, are the most affected. In popular usage, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation is often called just "El Niño". El Niño is Spanish for "the little boy" and refers to the Christ child, because periodic warming in the Pacific near South America is usually noticed around Christmas.

          El Niño is defined by prolonged differences in Pacific Ocean Sea surface temperatures when compared with the average value. The accepted definition is a warming or cooling of at least 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) averaged over the east-central tropical Pacific Ocean. Typically, this anomaly happens at irregular intervals of 3–7 years and lasts nine months to two years. The average period length is 5 years. When this warming or cooling occurs for only seven to nine months, it is classified as El Niño/La Niña "conditions"; when it occurs for more than that period, it is classified as El Niño/La Niña "episodes".

The first signs of an El Niño are:

1. Rise in surface pressure over the Indian Ocean, Indonesia, and Australia
2. Fall in air pressure over Tahiti and the rest of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean
3. Trade winds in the south Pacific weaken or head east
4. Warm air rises near Peru, causing rain in the northern Peruvian deserts
5. Warm water spreads from the west Pacific and the Indian Ocean to the east Pacific. It takes the rain with it, causing extensive drought in the western Pacific and rainfall in the normally dry eastern Pacific.

El Niño's warm rush of nutrient-poor tropical water, heated by its eastward passage in the Equatorial Current, replaces the cold, nutrient-rich surface water of the Humboldt Current. When El Niño conditions last for many months, extensive ocean warming and the reduction in Easterly Trade winds limits upwelling of cold nutrient-rich deep water and its economic impact to local fishing for an international market can be serious.

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a.) Today I learned that El Niño is defined by prolonged differences in Pacific Ocean Sea surface temperatures when compared with the average value.

b.) I will apply my learnings about El Niño in my daily life. It can be useful for myself to easily classify what is happening in my surroundings. Like when it gets really hot, I might be able to deduce that it certainly is the time for this phenomenon.

c.) Learning about this topic is important because it have certain features that many does not know about. I can prevent myself from panicking about such a thing because I know that it happens naturally. But if it happens too quickly, I can help prevent it, or if I can't, make myself ready about what to happen next and inform anyone as I can.

d.) On a larger scale, I will share my learnings about this phenomena to others because, what if they don't have any idea bout this, and they panic because they think that this is very dangerous? What will happen t everyone. I thought about that and arrived at the conclusion that I should just make it clear to them that this happening is not as dangerous as they think, but it can be harmful at times too.

e.) I need to know more about how it happens. That's all. since I want to be scientifically aware about anything that happens around me. I want a logical explanation about everything. (Though I don't need one about Religion. I believe everything that is written in the bible.)

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And that's the end of it, see you next time!

famlei

Tropical Depression

Tropical Depression
          A tropical depression is an organized system of clouds and thunderstorms with a defined, closed surface circulation and maximum sustained winds of less than 34 knots (39 mph). It has no eye and does not typically have the organization or the spiral shape of more powerful storms. However, it is already a low-pressure system, hence the name "depression". The practice of the Philippines is to name tropical depressions from their own naming convention when the depressions are within the Philippines' area of responsibility.
          Once a group of thunderstorms has come together under the right atmospheric conditions for a long enough time, they may organize into a tropical depression. Winds near the center are constantly between 20 and 34 knots (23 - 39 mph).
          A tropical depression is designated when the first appearance of a lowered pressure and organized circulation in the center of the thunderstorm complex occurs.


Cold Front
          Cold front is defined as the leading edge of cold air masses.


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a. Today I learned that a tropical depression is an organized system of clouds and thunderstorms with a defined, closed surface circulation and maximum sustained winds of less than 34 knots (39 mph).
b. I will apply my learnings about tropical depression in informing others to be aware of what it could be, or what it could do in their lives.
c. Learning about this topic is important because it is an essential part of our life to be aware about everything. We can choose to ignore things but not this one. There is a possibility of danger when we are not aware about things that are happening in our life.
d. On a larger scale, I will share my learnings about this phenomenon to others because, thinking only about yourself or selfishness is not a very good thing to do. I would really like it if people have the same opinion as me. I would want them to be aware of what I am aware of and be ready about things just as I am.

e. I need to know more about tropical depression. I know that there is more to this subject than what is entered above. But I don't really like to rush myself for that. I will give myself time to absorb what I learned and get myself ready for the next topic that is to come.

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That's all. Thank you for reading! Hope I helped.... =D

famlei

Low Carbon Diet Journal (LCD Journal)

Dear Journal,
      A very rainy weekend welcomes everyone due to the new typhoon. (whose name I forgot) Though the majority of students wish that it last until next week for the suspension of classes, (ahem, which includes me, ahem) we should also think about the lives at stake at these wishes. If this typhoon continues until next week, many people will lose a lot. I think that classes will be suspended tomorrow though. Hmm, well, let's talk about me and the things I did to contribute in the lowering or decreasing of the amount of carbon dioxide found in our atmosphere. As usual, I turned off the lights when they are not needed, but, I think I'd have a problem with the energy consumption of the laptop which I currently am using. Since I was raised while watching the development of devices, (mainly computers), I always use them. Can you believe that I played  Counter Strike, DOTA:Frozen Throne, Ragnarok and O2Jam expertly in 1st grade? Oh well, my mother went home not in Saturday but the next day. She's working at Saturday's too. I missed her terribly. You already know that we use aircon at night rather than using the electric fan right? Well, since I wake up early these days, I was the one who turned it off this time around. Well, that's it for my ever-so-short journal. Happy weekdays.

FamLei

Low Carbon Diet Journal (LCD Journal)

Dear Journal,
      Last day of vacation (it's Sunday today). Mom's not home. She's taking care of my youngest brother. Today's not so eventful if you ask me (can you even talk in the first place?) but yesterday was a complete contrast of today. I went out with my friends. We we're at Janelle's house, doing activities as school in a group, and at the same time, having fun. We took a lot of goofy pictures ( and by a lot i mean A LOT) of ourselves in her laptop. We turned the air conditioner on because it was very hot inside. So hot! (I always mention that don't I?) Then, we had lunch somewhere, but before we went out, Janelle turned the aircon off to conserve energy and electricity. After lunch, we came back with a plastic of chicharon. We, once again, took goofy pictures. But before that, since this is the LCD journal, perhaps I should mention that since the canteen was a walking distance from Janelle's house, we chose to walk instead than using other means of transportation like riding in a tricycle. It also have a lot of benefits. I was the first to go home. I watched Boys Over Flowers and They Kiss Again in our DVD and turned it off at exactly 11:43 to go to sleep.

FamLei

Monsoon

MONSOON

Monsoon - a wind from the Southwest or South that brings heavy rainfall to Southern Asia in the summer.

                - sometimes primarily by much greater annual variation in temperature over large areas of land the          large areas of adjacent ocean water.

                - traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation.

Monsoon Rain - is a geographical phenomenon caused by cyclic air movements changing with the time of a   year.

Types of Monsoons

Summer Monsoon/Southwest Monsoon - takes place in the form of cycles with the cool air of the oceans blowing towards the land and creating precipitation and releasing energy. The ITCZ shifts northwards as the sun is overhead at the tropic of cancer. Equitorial Maritime air is drawn north and diverted northeast due to the coriolis force. The humid unstable air results in rainfall.

                   - the southwest monsoon/s prevails during May to October. The wind in Australia flows from Southeast direction going to the equator.

Winter Monsoon/Northeast Monsoon - in winter, when the land mass of the continents is cold and the water is warmer, the air flows in the reverse direction. Low temperature over Central Asia create areas of high pressure, at the same time, the subtropical jet and ITCZ shift south. Air moving out from the area of high pressure is very dry and becomes drier as it crosses over the Himalayas, causing clear skies and sunny weather over most India from November to May.

The Effects of Monsoon

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 fertilise 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.

Coriolis Effect

                    Coriolis effect is an inertial force described by the 19th-century French engineer-mathematician Gustave-Gaspard Coriolis in 1835. Coriolis showed that, if the ordinary Newtonian laws of motion of bodies are to be used in a rotating frame of reference, an inertial force--acting to the right of the direction of body motion for counterclockwise rotation of the reference frame or to the left for clockwise rotation--must be included in the equations of motion.


                     The effect of the Coriolis force is an apparent deflection of the path of an object that moves within a rotating coordinate system. The object does not actually deviate from its path, but it appears to do so because of the motion of the coordinate system.


                      The Coriolis effect is most apparent in the path of an object moving longitudinally. On the Earth an object that moves along a north-south path, or longitudinal line, will undergo apparent deflection to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. There are two reasons for this phenomenon: first, the Earth rotates eastward; and second, the tangential velocity of a point on the Earth is a function of latitude (the velocity is essentially zero at the poles and it attains a maximum value at the Equator). Thus, if a cannon were fired northward from a point on the Equator, the projectile would land to the east of its due north path. This variation would occur because the projectile was moving eastward faster at the Equator than was its target farther north. Similarly, if the weapon were fired toward the Equator from the North Pole, the projectile would again land to the right of its true path. In this case, the target area would have moved eastward before the shell reached it because of its greater eastward velocity. An exactly similar displacement occurs if the projectile is fired in any direction.




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1. TODAY I LEARNED THAT  monsoon is a wind from the Southwest or South that brings heavy rainfall to Southern Asia in the summer.
2. I WILL APPLY MY LEARNINGS ABOUT monsoon, just like what I did to the last topic and will be doing more in the future, will apply my knowledge in my everyday life.
3. LEARNING ABOUT THIS TOPIC IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE as people, we would want to be alert about everything that is going on anywhere not to be "in" , as others wil say, but to be able to share more and let others become AWARE about everything that is going on or will happen.
4. ON A LARGER SCALE, I WILL SHARE MY LEARNINGS ABOUT THIS PHENOMENON TO OTHERS BECAUSE as I said in the previous number, I would really be happy to let others become AWARE about everything that is going on or will happen in their lives. After al,, we are humans. We should care about others too.
5. I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT a lot of things about this topic. Researchs will be done over and over agaain. I will, of couse, want to know about the new informations on this topic in the near future. But for now, this important information will keep me satisfied. =D

CORIOLIS EFFECT

Low Carbon Diet Journal (LCD Journal)

Dear Journal,
          Right now, I'm doing everything (maybe not everything) that I need to do for school tomorrow. Yesterday, (Saturday, July 06, 2012) was my favorite and lovely cousin's birthday. I can't greet hr personally (wasn't able to) because she lives far from where I am right now. Where? America, very far right? I so miss her. Well, just sharing. So, to be able to greet her yesterday, I used the laptop to give her my message. I wished her a happy birthday. I looked at the birthday girl's pictures and smiled at how happy she was. After that, I turned the laptop off to let it have its very well deserved rest(Nighttime already). After that, I turned the lights off and went to sleep.

Lei

Low Carbon Diet Journal (LCD Journal)

Dear Journal,
       
        Hey, it's Sunday today and officially the second month that I'm in school. Can you belive that? I've been with you for a month now. So, Happy Monthsary? XD, hahaha. My classmates just went home from the "practice" we had here at my house. We used the laptop but I turned it off when it's not in use. The electric fan is on because it's OH SO HOT today! Duh! This season was supposed to be the Rainy Season! Why is it so hot?! The answer is simple, it's because Mr. Climate Change is here to take over. So what are we gonna do to prevent this? That's up to you. We have to stop this scary phenomenon before it eats us.

Lei

Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)

Intertropical Convergence Zone

(also known as ITCZ)

• Known by sailors as doldrums. The area encircling the Earth near the equator where winds originating in the northern and southern hemisphere come together.
• Originally identified from the 1920's to 1940's as the "intertropical front" (ITF), but after the recognition in 1940's and of 1950's of significance wind fiels convergence in tropical convergence in tropical weather production, the term "ITCZ" was then applied.
• It appears as a band of clouds usually thunderstorms that circle the globe near the equator.
• Location varies over time.

South Pacific Convergence Zone

(also known as SPCZ)

• A reverse-oriented, or west-northwest to east-southeast aligned, through extending from West Pacific warm pool southwards towards French polynesia.

Effects on weather:

       * It drastically affects the rainfall in many equitorial nations,      

          resulting in the wet and dry seasons of higher latitudes.

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• Tropical cyclones depends upon low-level vorticity as one of its six requirements, and the ITCZ fills this role as its zone of wind change and speed, otherwise, known as horizontal wind shear.

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1. Today I learned that Intertropical Convergence Zone (also known as ITCZ) is the one who plays as the zone of wind change and speed, otherwise known as horizontal wind shear.
2. I will apply my learnings about ITCZ in my everyday life. Perhaps when I watch the television and a weather update can be seen. I will explain it to myself so that my understanding about this matter becomes deep. I will also tell my family about it so that they would be able to know about this or relieve they're forgotten knowledge about the subject at hand.
3. Learning about this phenomenon is important because not everyday are we safe about the disasters coming from mother nature or the so-called known natural calamities. We should atleast understand about this to be able to be ready about it.
4. On a larger scale, I will share my learnings about this phenomenon to others because I want them to know about this too and think the same way that I do. For example, they think that a tropical depression is not a thing to be worried about, such is the thought of people from higher standings or those who live in places where typhoon is not destructive. But what about those people who live in places where typhoon is one of the scariest thing in the world. Those people are scared to the bone about this phenomenon because it will most likely kill them or make them suffer in their life. I want people to start thinking fairly about things in the world. One of it is the ITCZ. They should know the destructive part of this phenomena in our daily lives. So they should be prepared and refrain from contributing to the development of this phenomena into the negative part.
5. I need to know more about this ITCZ and what difference will it make if it's not around. (weird huh?)

Well that's all. Thank you for reading.

Intertropical Convergence Zone