Today,
my post will be about the various temperature controls that have an effect on
the climate of the capital city, as well as some other controls that do not
apply to the capital. Zimbabwe is quite the surprise with its diverse climate.
Its mild temperatures are no coincidence, but instead is a product of many
factors, which will be delved into.
The capital city of my country, Zimbabwe, is Harare. The longitude and
latitude of the capital city is 17.8639 Degrees S, 31.0297 Degrees East. The
coldest month of Harare is July with an average monthly temperature of 64.8 F,
while the warmest month is October with an average monthly temperature of 83.7
F. Based on this information, the annual range of temperature for my city is
18.9 F. The website in which I obtained this information is https://www.safaribookings.com/zimbabwe/climate.
While some may think that
Africa is basically flat, would be quite surprised. Africa has a wide range of
altitude, and my country’s capital city is situated in the highlands. The
altitude of Harare is 4,890 Ft above sea level. This high altitude keeps the
temperature of the city relatively low and temperate. This is because the
higher up you are, the less the atmospheric pressure and density is. This
results in cooler temperatures because the relief of pressure means less
kinetic energy of particles. Less radiation is also absorbed because of the
smaller amount of particles per cube. The temperature drops about 4 degrees for
every 1000 feet in elevation.
One of the things that don’t
impact my city is the ocean current. It is very much in the center of the
southern tip of Africa. The Southern tip of Africa has very consistent warm
ocean currents that basically engulf it. It does not have the trait, like the
gulfstream, of pulling water of different temperatures up and down its coast.
This keeps the interactions between the ocean and atmosphere very consistent.
Based on the movie, The Inconvenient Truth, it is believed
that the polar ice caps will melt and the sea level will rise up to 20ft. This
will make Zimbabwe in closer proximity to the ocean which will most likely
raise the average temperatures due to the relatively temperature stable
properties of water. It will also decrease Harare’s relative altitude, and
while it may not be much, this alone will raise the temperature of Harare. Due
to global warming, Zimbabwe is already currently suffering from
uncharacteristic droughts, and coupled with the effects of global warming,
their water supply could disappear, along with many other countries. This will
change the sub tropical climate drastically.
Through this assignment, I
have learned just exactly how and why the altitude keeps the climate of Zimbabwe
very temperate in the highlands. This is due to lowering of the atmospheric pressure
as well as the density. I also learned just exactly how the currents around the
Southern tip of Africa flow and how relatively consistent it is comparatively
to the gulfstream. Through these things, I was able to really predict what may
happen to Zimbabwe if we don’t act together against global warming, and just
how quickly things can change for the world’s climate.
