Geography Project Weather and Climate

LOCATION
The field project was undertaken in Kenneth Kaunda International Airport

which is about 23km in North East of the Zambia capital access to the city
And is less than 30 minutes if using the Great East Road.
TABLE OF CONTENT
DEDICATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT…………………………………..
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND…………………………..…………….
LOCATION………………………………………………………………………....
PROBLEM STATEMENTS, DEFINITIONAIMS AND OBJECTIVES…………..
METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………………….
INSTRUMENTS USED IN WEATHER AND CLIMATE STUDY………………
CAUSE OF WEATHER AND CLIMATE STUDY………………………………..
DATA PRESENTATION…………………………………………………………...
CONCLUSION AND EVALUATION………………………………………………
PROBLEMS AND LIMITATIONS…………………………………………………
RECOMMENDATIONS……………………………………………………………..
DEDICATION
I would like to thank my Family and friends as well as the people

working at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport for helping me
get satisfying information for my field project.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the people who helped me

during my research; my family for supporting me and for helping with the
funds and friends.
And also many thanks to the meteorological Department for their time.
I really appreciate for educating me about weather and climate.
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
Zambia has a total of 41 weather stations throughout the country in order to

benefit everyone living in Zambia or just visiting but currently only a total to
29 are still in operation and Zambia is also the one of the nice (9) pilot
countries for the UN- REDD Like other southern
Zambia has in recent times been affected by droughts and floods. Between
December 2006 and March 2007, Zambia was among other southern African
countries that experienced massive flooding. The flooding, which left
hundreds dead in the region and around 1.25 million homeless, was said to
be the worst in living memory.
Program under this program it is envisioned that the country will quickly
develop a national REDD strategy to address climate change issues
This project focuses on the causes, changes and effects of weather and
climate study.
The meteorological department in Zambia was established sometime back in

1967 with the help of the federal government of southern Rhodesia.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
It is clear that weather and climate study is useful in many different ways but
is badly affected by public ignorance.
There is need to know the importance of weather and climate study. It is also
important to know the advantages of weather and climate studying.
PROBLEM DEFINITION
This study will explore
-The aim of this project is to find out what causes climate and weather to
change.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE
The research was undertaken to:
 Determine the causes of weather and climate study
 To find out what instrument are used to study climate and weather
 Suggesting solutions as how we can help maintain the weather and

climate stations.
METHODOLOGY
PRIMARY DATE
The method used in collecting primary data:
 I used the questionnaire according to my aims and objectives
 I had oral interviews with the guide at the weather station
 I observed while taking notes and asked the following questions:
 What causes weather variations and climate to change?
 When was the weather and climate station established?
 How can we encourage climate and weather study?

SECONDARY DATA
 High school geography books for Zambia
 Internet
INSTRUMENT USED IN WEATHER AND CLIMATE STUDY
WIND VANE
Wind direction is measured using the wind vane. Wind direction is measured
in degrees or using the compass cardinal points such as North east, south
east, north and west e.tc as shown in the figure above.
Data base on wind direction is very important in aviation and also in

the construction of industries . Wind direction database is also important
in agriculture when it comes to spraying insecticides or pesticides
and also monitoring of the movement of locusts. The database is also
used in aviation during landing and taking off of aircrafts. The
construction and orientation of runways is also determined by direction
of the prevailing winds in particular location.
To obtain the wind direction the observer should stand facing the fin or tail
of the vain, looking from the fin to counterweight should the vane be
swinging to add from, the middle position of the swing must be noted this
gives direction from which the wind is coming from or blowing
The direction of the wind is reported to the nearest 10.

CUP ANEMOMETER
Wind speed is also another element of weather and it is the rate change of
the distance travelled by time per unit time. This element is important in
aviation and construction of building, roads and infrastructure.
Wind speed is measured using the cup anemometer. The unit for wind speed
is meter per second or knots. 1 knot is equal to 10 meter per second.
Cup anemometer operate on the principle of three cups shown in the figure
above mounted symmetrically about a vertical axis that diametrical plane of
each cup is vertical and rotate as a force of the wind on the concave side of
any cup is greater than on the later convex side. The rate of rotation depends
slowly on the wind speed provided that the late is steady and greater than the
maximum speed needed to set the cups in motion, and neither on the wind
direction nor density of the air. Apart from all of this, there is a conclusion
of wind speed, the run of the counter reading at the beginning and end of the
period, for synoptic purpose, a six minute period 10 times to the hour and
multiplying the answer.
RAIN GAUGE
Rainfall is an important element of weather. In Zambia, rainfall is usually

received in summer that is from November to April. This element of weather
is very important in many ways.
 Rainfall recharges the streams, rivers, seas and oceans. After water
from rainfall is collected in rivers and streams, it is used for domestic
and industrial purposes. Rainfall in vital for agriculture for instance
when there is a drought, crops die and as a result hunger follows and
many people as well as animals die. On the other hand when there is
a flood many people and animals perish.
 An instrument known as rain gauge is used to measure rainfall, the
unit of measurement for rainfall is measured in millimeters
[mm].Mostly a standard rain gauge is used in the measuring of rainfall
and recommended gauge is density is 26 centimeter’s squared. In
terms of volume 1 millimeter of rainfall is equivalent to 1000
components such as: Collector –an outer vessel sunk into the ground,
it is cylindrical and about 12 centimeters in diameters rainfall supports
living things on earth.
 Funnel-has some diameter as collector.
SUNSHINE RECORDER
The number of hours and minutes a place received in a day is measured by

an instrument known as sunshine recorder. This is a glass sphere which us
partially surrounded by a metal frame on the inside of which a sensitized
card. The card is graduated in hours and minutes when the sun shines, the
glass sphere focuses the sun’s rays on to the card and when the sun moves
across the sky the rays burn a trace on the card. This only happens when the
sun shining. At the end of the day the card is taken out and the length of the
trace is turned in to hours and minutes which represents the total amount of
sunshine for the day.
CAUSES OF WEATHER AND CLIMATE IN ZAMBIA
What causes variations in weather? The Weather processes such as wind,
clouds, and precipitation are all the result of the atmosphere responding to
heating of the Earth by the Sun.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND CAUSES IN THE

ENVIRONMENT
Climate change has emerged as one of the world’s greatest developmental
challenges in the 21st century. Across the globe climate change has caused
serious damage to the environment and to human life in general. According
to expert assessments, global warming is expected to have worst impacts in
Africa, South and West Asia; suggesting that developing countries are more
vulnerable to climate change than developed countries.1 Left unabated,
climate change threatens to reverse hard-earned developmental gains made
over the decades. But timely national responses to mitigate and adapt to
climate change impacts can abate the situation
SOCIO-ECONOMIC LIVES OF PEOPLE

In Zambia, climate change impacts, particularly from floods and
droughts have caused serious damage to crops and infrastructure.
Assessment of climate change evidence in Zambia is shown in Table
4 below.
Generally, annual rainfall has declined across the country since 1940 to
2005. On average the country received 58 mm (6%) less annual rainfall
between 1971 and 2005.21 In particular; agro-ecological region I (southern
parts of Southern & Western Provinces) was drier and more prone to climate
change/variability.
21 CCFU,
DATA PRESENTATION
Number of weather
station Operational Non-operational
41 29 12
DATA INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS

There is a total of 41 weather stations in Zambia, but only 29 are working to
maximum efficiency though most of the equipment is old and not working
properly hence giving the people in charge of the weather stations a hard
time in terms of data interpretation because the data is not always accurate.
The other 12 weather stations are not in use at all because all the equipment
has malfunctioned and there is a lack of trained man power, most of the
people takeoff is not qualified to run a weather and climate station.
CONCLUSION AND EVALUATION
The weather department has really done a lot for the country. It keeps a keen
eye on the weather and climate throughout the world. One of the last things
pilots do before takeoff is to request meteorological information.
Early warnings of dangerous weather condition, storms, ice build-up on

ships, slippery roads and storm surges are of vital importance for both man
and property. As the forces of nature are permanently at work, so too is the
staff of the Forecasting services Department round the clock all year round!
One of DMI’s most important tasks is to contribute to aviation safety by
constantly monitoring and warning about weather conditions of significance
for aviation.
There is hardly a branch of human activities as dependent on the weather as

agriculture. Agricultural production is for large part still dependent on
weather as and climate despite the impressive advance in agricultural
technology over the last half a century. More than ever agro meteorological
services have become essential because of the challenge provided to many
forms of agricultural production by increasing climate variability and
associated extreme events as well as climate change, all of which affecting
the socio-economic conditions, especially of developing countries.
The weather is an important part of the natural environment. It directly or
indirectly affects many of our activities. We tend to be acutely aware of the
weather when we are faced with exceptional or dangerous phenomena are,
for example, gale-force wind s, hail, heavy rainfall, sleet, ice and frost.
PROBLEMS AND LIMITATIONS

LIMITATION
When carrying out my field research I faced a lot of challenges such as:
 Observation: most of the equipment was not 100% operational and

were missing some part thus I was unable to be given a physical
demonstration on how the facilities work.
 Oral interview was a problem because there was only one tour guide
to cater for 40 pupils.
PROBLEMS
The following problems are being face by the weather station:

 Only 29 of the 49 weather stations are in operational and most of the
stations in operation lack equipment.
 The stations are lacking staff.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The government should consider investing some funds in the refurbishment

of the stations and also in investing in new machinery to improve our
meteorology stations. Also it should consider setting up weather and climate
stations in all districts.
We need human resource to man the weather and climate stations at the
moment there is not adequate trained man power (Staff) to run these stations.
The government needs to come up with projects to educate and reach to
outskirts and rural areas on the importance of weather, climate and the
change in weather patterns.

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LOCATION

The field project was undertaken in Kenneth Kaunda International Airport

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND…………………………..…………….

PROBLEM STATEMENTS, DEFINITIONAIMS AND OBJECTIVES…………..

INSTRUMENTS USED IN WEATHER AND CLIMATE STUDY………………

CAUSE OF WEATHER AND CLIMATE STUDY………………………………..

CONCLUSION AND EVALUATION………………………………………………

PROBLEMS AND LIMITATIONS…………………………………………………

I would like to thank my Family and friends as well as the people

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the people who helped me

Zambia has a total of 41 weather stations throughout the country in order to

The meteorological department in Zambia was established sometime back in

This study will explore

 Determine the causes of weather and climate study

 Suggesting solutions as how we can help maintain the weather and

The method used in collecting primary data:

 I used the questionnaire according to my aims and objectives

 I had oral interviews with the guide at the weather station

 I observed while taking notes and asked the following questions:

 What causes weather variations and climate to change?

 When was the weather and climate station established?

 How can we encourage climate and weather study?

 High school geography books for Zambia

Data base on wind direction is very important in aviation and also in

The direction of the wind is reported to the nearest 10.

Rainfall is an important element of weather. In Zambia, rainfall is usually

The number of hours and minutes a place received in a day is measured by

CLIMATE CHANGE AND CAUSES IN THE

SOCIO-ECONOMIC LIVES OF PEOPLE

DATA INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS

CONCLUSION AND EVALUATION

Early warnings of dangerous weather condition, storms, ice build-up on

There is hardly a branch of human activities as dependent on the weather as

PROBLEMS AND LIMITATIONS

 Observation: most of the equipment was not 100% operational and

The following problems are being face by the weather station:

The government should consider investing some funds in the refurbishment

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