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Controls of climate 2

Ethiopia's weather and climate are primarily influenced by latitude, altitude, mountain barriers, and the Earth's revolution and axial inclination. The country features five agro-climatic zones defined by altitude and temperature, including Wurch, Dega, Woina-Dega, Kolla, and Bereha zones, each with distinct characteristics and agricultural potential. Overall, altitude and latitude are the dominant factors controlling Ethiopia's climate, with ocean currents and distance from the sea having minimal impact.

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3 views

Controls of climate 2

Ethiopia's weather and climate are primarily influenced by latitude, altitude, mountain barriers, and the Earth's revolution and axial inclination. The country features five agro-climatic zones defined by altitude and temperature, including Wurch, Dega, Woina-Dega, Kolla, and Bereha zones, each with distinct characteristics and agricultural potential. Overall, altitude and latitude are the dominant factors controlling Ethiopia's climate, with ocean currents and distance from the sea having minimal impact.

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abdureshidsebrina
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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2.

3 CONTROLS OF WEATHER AND CLIMATE IN ETHIOPIA


a) Latitude
✓ It is the angular location of a place or point with reference to the direct rays of the sun.
✓ The rays of the sun fall vertical on the equator and slanting in the temperate and polar regions.
Ethiopia’s location within the tropical zone results in;
• high temperatures during most of the year,
• high daily (diurnal) ranges of temperature,
• relatively small annual ranges of temperature, and
• little difference between summer and winter in the ratios of daylight to night.
b) Altitude
✓ It is the main factor that determines the spatial distribution of temperature in Ethiopia.
✓ Different places that exist on the same angle of the rays of the sun might be expected to
experience equal temperatures. However, due to the impact of altitude, they do not.

✓ Temperature decreases as altitude ascends from the lowlands towards the interior highlands.
c) Mountain Barriers
✓ It can affect climate in that they exert influence on the spatial distribution of rainfall.
✓ Places located on the leeward side of mountains (also called rain shadow) receive little rain.
d) Revolution of the Earth and the Inclination of the Earth’s Axis
✓ The axis of the earth inclines 23½o to the normal of the elliptic. As the earth revolves around
the sun, this inclination produces a change in the angle of the sun’s rays, thereby affecting the
length of time that the sun shines on the earth every other day.
✓ Changes in the length of the day and angle (directness) of the sun’s rays cause seasons.
These different seasons result in the temporal variation of temperature in a year in Ethiopia.
e) Distance from the Sea
✓ It is about how far a place is in relation to the sea.
Places near to the sea have greater maritime influence whereas areas that lie farther from the
sea have little or no influence of the sea. Therefore, coastal regions are cooler and wetter
than inland regions.

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✓ Water bodies and landmasses have different levels of heat absorption.
Land masses absorb and release heat energy more quickly than water bodies do.
✓ Distance from the sea affects the Horn’s climate only in coastal areas that are adjacent to the
Red Sea and the northwestern Indian Ocean. Towards the interior, the role of distance from
the sea in climate control is insignificant.
f) Ocean Current
✓ Warm currents heat the air over the ocean and bring higher temperatures over land.
Cold currents can lower air temperatures and can bring colder temperatures over land.
✓ In Ethiopia, the role of ocean current in climate control is inconsequential.
❖ The climate of Ethiopia is dominantly controlled by altitude and latitude.
2.4.1 Agro-climatic Zones of Ethiopia
✓ In Ethiopia, altitude has resulted in the formation of five agro climatic zones and traditionally
been defined in terms of temperature.
Table 2.2. Agro-climatic Zones

a) Wurch-Zone Areas
✓ They have the highest altitudes and lowest temperatures. Frequently they have temperatures
of less than 10oC.
✓ They exist in the very high mountains of South Gondar, Wollo, Shewa, Arsi and Bale.
Example:
▪ Mt. Ras Dashen in Semine Gondar
▪ Mt. Guna in South Gondar
▪ Mt. Megezez in North Shewa
▪ Mt. Batu in Bale, etc.

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b) Dega-Zone Areas
✓ They are highland areas with lower altitudes and higher temperatures than Wurch-zone areas.
✓ Historically, Dega-zone were the home of concentrated human settlement. They were
chosen because of:
• Secure location (from which people could defend themselves from threats)
• Reliable rainfall
• Absence of tropical diseases such as malaria, etc.
Due to this high concentration of human population, it has been intensively cultivated and has
a high rate of soil erosion, overgrazing and deforestation.
✓ Some of the humid areas of this zone support two growing periods per year under rain-fed
agriculture.
Example:
▪ Dinsho in Bale, Chillallo in Arsi, Hulla in Sidama, Debresina in North Shewa
c) Woina-Dega-Zone Areas
✓ They contain most of Ethiopia’s agricultural land.
✓ They are the country’s main areas producing:
▪ Surplus grain
▪ Inset and its derivatives
✓ As in the Dega zone, there can be two growing seasons when rainfall reliability is high.
d) Kolla Zone Areas
✓ It is a warm-to-hot semi-arid climate.
✓ It is the climate of the hot lowlands with an altitudinal range of 500 to 1500 m a.s.l.
✓ Average annual temperatures are between 20oC and 30oC. Although mean annual rainfall
ranges between 410 mm and 820 mm, it can be as high as 1600 mm in the wet western lowlands
of Gambella.
✓ Rainfall is highly variable from year to year.
Example: Western lowlands.
e) Bereha-Zone Areas
✓ It is the hot arid climate.
✓ It the climate of the desert lowlands.
✓ They are found below 500 m a.m.s.l where the average annual rainfall is less than 400 mm,
and average annual temperature is over 30oC.
✓ Bereha is usually characterized by
• strong wind,
• high temperature,
• low relative humidity, and
• little cloud cover.
• evapotranspiration is always in excess of rainfall in some places.
Example: Danakil depression in Afar lowlands.

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