Geography & History Notes | KCSE, NECTA, ZIMSEC & GCSE

  Different areas in East Africa experience varying temperatures. Some areas experience extremely hot temperatures of over 30o c. They include Northeastern Uganda , Northern Kenya , the rift valley areas, and the coastal areas. Other areas experience very low/cool temperatures especially the mountainous or highland areas such as the Kenya highlands, Kigezi highlands, Mt Kilimanjaro , Mt Rwenzori, Mt Meru , and Mt Elgon among others. Several factors influence temperature or contribute to the variations in the temperature in E.Africa and they include: Altitude It refers to the height of the land above sea level. Temperatures tend to drop as altitude increases by approximately 6.5o c for every 1000 metres of ascent/rise. Due to this lapse rate effect, highland areas like Mt Rwenzori, Kenya, and Kilimanjaro experience low temperatures while low altitude areas like the rift valley region experience hot temperatures Latitude It refers to the angular distance of an area from the e...

  Regions with this type of climate are located on the east coasts of regions lying between 10oN and 25oN and 10o S and 25oS. These areas are under the influence of onshore trade winds . The main areas are the east coasts of Brazil and Malagasy, the lowlands of central American and the west indies the coast of Queen land (Australia) and the southern Islands of the Philippines . CHARACTERISTICS OF TROPICAL MARINE CLIMATE Temperature characteristics are similar to those of the equatorial climate . Hot season temperature is 29oC and the cooler season temperature is 21oC. The annual temperature range is about 8oC. Total annual rainfall varies from 1000 mm to 200 mm depending on the location. Rainfall is both convection and topographic (brought by onshore trade winds ). Maximum rainfall occurs in the hot season. High humidity throughout the year. This climate can generally be described as hot and humid throughout the year. However, the climate is cooled by the onshore winds ...

  The year 2016 was the warmest year since record-keeping began in 1880. The global average surface temperature last year was 0.94°Chigher than the 20th-century average and July was the warmest month ever recorded. Two phenomena were responsible for this. One was climate change and the other was El Nino. Previously 2014 was the warmest year and the record was broken in 2015 and subsequently now in 2016 showing a continuous rise in the earth’s temperature. This is only the second time that the annual temperature record has been broken three years in a row. The previous trio was during World War II. All 16 years in our current century rank among the 17 warmest on record. RELATED POSTS 9 CONDITIONS FAVOURING IRRIGATION FARMING IN EGYPT 5 CAUSES OF RURAL-RURAL MIGRATION IN KENYA 10 AIMS OF KILOMBERO VALLEY IRRIGATION SCHEME 4 FEATURES OF MAP STATEMENT SCALE 10 ADVANTAGES OF OIL PRODUCTION IN THE MIDDLE EAST 7 DISADVANTAGES OF AIR TRANSPORT 10 PROBLEMS FACING COFFEE FARMING IN KENYA IMP...

  Stability in the atmosphere refers to a state of equilibrium reached in the atmosphere when a mass of dry air which is rising in form of wind has a lapse rate that is greater than that of the surrounding air i.e the environmental lapse rate of an air mass is less than the dry adiabatic lapse rate. The rising air mass loses its temperature ultimately becoming cooler and denser than the surrounding air mass. It then sinks back to the ground level unless when some external force is at work. Instability in the other hand is a state of unstable equilibrium of the atmosphere where the environmental lapse rate of an air mass is greater than the dry adiabatic lapse rate. A surface pocket of unsaturated air when heated, will rise and cool at the dry adiabatic lapse rate and because it is warmer than the surrounding air mass, it will continue to rise. Due to the fact that the surrounding air is denser than the rising air mass, it will force it up to greater heights where it cools from. Hig...