TOPIC 04-WEATHER
Weather: The conditions of the atmosphere which occur at a place at a specific time period (from hour to hour or day to day) are known as weather.
Importance of weather:
- Good weather improves people's lives
- Weather determines the kind of clothing to be worn by people in an area.
- Knowledge of the weather of a place enables people to carry out economic activities which can be sustained by the weather in that place. e.g. dairy cattle do well in a cool and wet place.
- By studying the weather of a place over a long time, we can establish its climate.
Weather and Human activities
Most human activities are affected by weather that is experienced at a place.For example, When the rains are heavy, flooding occurs and causes damage to crops, animals and infrastructure like roads. This means that few economic activities can take place.
When there is no rain, plants and animals die, rivers and streams dry up, and irrigation and other economic activities like fishing cannot be carried out. Therefore weather affects the social economic activities of a place.
Elements of Weather
Are the basic atmospheric condition of a place at a given time.There are 7 element of weather
- Sunshine
- Temperature
- Humidity
- Cloud cover
- Precipitation
- Wind
- Atmospheric pressure
IMPORTANCE OF EACH ELEMENT OF WEATHER
- Sunshine
Sunshine refers to the sun's rays that reach the surface of the earth.
Importance of Sunshine:
- The sun's energy enables plants to manufacture food through the process of photosynthesis
- People need sunshine to dry their crops, food like cassava, millet, maize and fish
- They also use sunshine to warm themselves
- Dries clothes after washing them
- Temperature
Refers to how hot or cold an object or place is. The heat in the atmosphere is supplied by the sun
Importance of Temperature:
- Warm is essential for plant and animal survival
- Plants need warm in order to manufacture their fool
- Facilitates formation of clouds