Download weather and climate

Unit 2. Social Science
WEATHER
AND CLIMATE
COLEGIO MIRALBA
•1•
WEATHER AND CLIMATE
Weather and climate shape our lives in many
different ways, from the clothes we wear to our
everyday activities. We also depend on them for
many things: farmers need rain for their crops; boats
need strong winds for their sails and tourists like
sunshine when on holiday. But what causes these
conditions? Can we always predict them?
We a t h e r m a p
•1•
1. Can you name any of the
symbols on a weather map?
2. Which countries can you see on
the maps?
3. What type of weather can we see
on the maps?
4. Where was this photograph
taken?
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A School trip project
Read the descriptions and select the
correct picture.
Look at this chart project and answer the questions
Pregunta 1 de 3
The season when temperatures are high and the
weather is generally sunny in temperate climates.
1. What season do you think it was when these notes were taken?
Give reasons for your answer.
Comprobar
respuesta
2. What is the weather like where you are? Use Ana and Tom’s
project to help you write a description. Then draw it in your
notebook.
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•2•
Weather
Weather describes all the atmospheric
conditions in a place each day. Weather
can change several times in a day. Water,
air and heat from the Sun work together
to form weather. We talk about four
different factors when we talk about
weather:
4
• temperature
• humidity
• wind
• precipitation
Temperature
Humidity
Humidity describes how much water vapour is
present in the air. When it is very humid,
fog and mist can form.
Temperature is a measure of how hot or cold the air is. We use a
thermometer to gauge this. Thermometers can have two different
types of scales: The Celsius or Centigrade (oC) temperature scale,
where freezing is at 0 oC. The Fahrenheit (oF) scale, where freezing
is at 32 oF.
We use a hygrometer to measure
humidity.
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Wind
Wind is moving air that can move at many different speeds.
The first international standard for measuring wind speed was
created by Admiral Beaufort in 1806.
It includes categories such as
breeze, gale or
hurricane, an is
still widely used
today.
We use an
anemometer to measure wind
speed.
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Precipitation
Activities
1. What are the main components of weather?
2. What happens when there is a lot of humidity in
the air?
3. Name the two temperature scales. Then find out
who invented each one. Did they invent
anything else?
4. Find out the average wind speed for the last week
where you live and place it on the Beaufort Wind
Scale.
5. What are the other six categories in the Beaufort
Wind Scale?
Precipitation is water that falls to the ground from the atmosphere.
It can fall as a liquid, such as rain, or as a solid, such as snow or
hail. To measure precipitation we use a rain gauge.
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Precipitation
Hail
We talk about precipitation when water is released from clouds in
the form of rain, drizzle, sleet, hail or snow. The conditions inside
the cloud and the temperature
outside it determine what
form of precipitation is
released.
Hail forms when water
droplets are pushed up
by rising air currents in
thunderstorms. They
freeze in the clouds and
then start to fall again.
As they fall they melt
slightly. Bigger stones
are created when water
droplets are pushed up again and refreeze.
Rain
Rain is the name given to
water droplets that measure
more than 0.5 mm across.
Snow
If the cloud is low
and the air around it
is cold and dry, the
little droplets inside
form ice crystals,
which fall as snow.
Drizzle
Smaller rain droplets
form drizzle, a light rain.
Activities
Sleet
1. . When does precipitation fall as a solid and when does
it fall as a liquid?
If the air is a little cooler, frozen
crystals can form. This results in a
mixture of rain and snow, which we
call sleet.
2. How does hail form?
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3. If a water droplet measures 0.7 mm across, is it rain or
drizzle? Explain your answer.
Clouds
These clouds form in layers and are located low in the sky. They
often bring drizzle and fog.
Clouds form when warm air rises and then cools down. Different
types of clouds result in different types of weather.
Cirrus clouds
Cumulus clouds
These clouds are thinner and are located higher up in the sky. They
usually mean that bad weather is coming.
These are fat, fluffy clouds and are a sign of good weather.
Stratus clouds
Activities
1. Draw the clouds that you can see outside now. What
sort of weather do you predict for later?
2. Find out about other types of clouds that do not
appear on this page. What are they called?
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Predicting the weather
There are around 10000
weather stations all over the
world. They send reports to
weather forecast centres to
pass on data about wind speed,
temperature and more.
Professional meteorologists predict weather by using hundreds of
measuring devices to collect information about:
• rainfall
• temperature
Weather satellites orbit the
Earth so they can take pictures
of weather patterns, monitor
temperatures and even
measure the height of waves.
• sunshine
• wind speed
Weather balloons
carry instruments
high into the
atmosphere so they can
measure temperature,
air pressure and
humidity. They then
send their readings to a
weather station on the
ground.
Once we have a data,
we can put it into
temperature and
precipitation graphs
to help us interprent
the information and
make predictions.
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Rain gauge
Activities
★Plastic bottle
★Ruler
★Paper clips
★Scissors
★Adhesive tape
★Jelly
1. How can a meteorologist monitor rainfall?
2. What do we use to take pictures of weather from
above?
3. Why do we use weather balloons?
Anemometer
★2 long strips of corrugated
cardboard (35 cm).
★4 polystyrene cups
★Plasticine
★A pushpin
★Pencil with new eraser
★Colored marker
★Stappler
★Scissors
Make your own metereological
instruments
Make a wind vane
★2 paper plates
★Poster board
★Plastic straw
★Straight pin
★Pencil with new eraser
★Modelling clay
★Glue
★Scissors
Thermometer
★Glass bottle
★Food coluoring
★Plasticine
★Straw
★Water
★Rubbing alcohol
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Hygrometer
★A long hair (the best is horse hair)
★Two pushpins
★Cardboard
★Adhesive tape
Barometer
★Jar
★Rubber band
★Balloon
★Glue
★Tape
★Card
★Needle
★Straw
★Pencil
★Marker pen
★Scissors
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Weather forecasts
Activities
We use the data collected from the devices mentioned on the previous
page to predict weather patterns for the near future. We can see these
weather forecasts on TV, the internet, in newspapers or hear about
them on the radio. We use weather maps with symbols to show visual
predictions.
1. Find out about different types of extreme weather
that can affect Europe. How can we prepare for them?
2. Discuss how weather patterns affect our everyday
lives.
Weather can affect all aspects of our lives. This includes factors such
as the economy and our health.
3. Find out about different types of extreme weather
that can affect Europe. How can we prepare for them?
For example, if a hail storm destroys crops, the price of food increases.
If there is little rain, there are more droughts and pollution levels
increase.
4. Discuss how weather patterns affect our everyday
lives.
5. Explain these weather maps.
This is why it is so important to be able to predict the weather.
Did you know?
In the summer of 2003 Europe
experienced a two-month
heatwave. Temperatures rose to
highs of nearly 39 oC in Madrid,
and up to 48 oC in the south of
Spain. This resulted in a higher
number of deaths than usual and
a significant drop in economic
activity, especially in farming.
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Weather Reports
Weather
Expressions used in a weather report:
it's hot
it's warm
it's cold
it's sunny/sunny with cloudy periods
it's cloudy/ partly cloudy/mostly cloudy/ the sky is overcast
it's windy/threre is/a strong wind/ there are light winds/ there
are strong winds
it's foggy
it's stormy
it's raining
it's hailing
it's snowing
temperatures are going to drop (go down quickly)
temperatures are going to rise (go up quickly)
temperatures are below zero
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symbols
•3•
Activities
1. What factors
determine the
different world
climates?
2. Why is the weather
so cold in polar
climates? When and
why do they receive
very little daylight?
Climate
Climate is the main weather conditions for a long
period of time in a specific area. There are three
main climate categories which are determined by:
Polar climates are cold all year around. Winter
brings darkness and temperatures as low as
-50º C.
• The size and location of landmasses
In summer the Sun barely sets, but it lies so low in
the sky that its rays hit the land at a weak angle.
This is why it is still so cold in summer.
• The presence of mountains and plains
• Atmospheric wind systems
Temperate climates have mild weather with hot
summers and cold winters. The most densely
populated parts of the world lie in this region.
• Ocean currents
Tropical climates are warm all year round and
have rainy seasons. Countries with this climate lie
between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of
Capricorn. This is where we can find tropical
rainforests.
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Climates in Spain
Climates in Spain
There are five types of climate in Spain.
Oceanic climates.
Mountain climates
Mediterranean climates.
Mediterranean-Continental climates.
Subtropical climates.
Desert climates.
Oceanic climates are mild and rainy. We can find
them in areas such as Galicia, Cantabria and the
western Pyrenees.
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Activities
1. What type of climate does your region have?
2. Which plants, trees and animals are typical of the
climate where you live?
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Think about it: pollution
Global Warming
Pollution is becoming a great problem for our world today. Urban
living and modern technology threaten our world in various ways,
from the hole in the ozone layer to bad air quality and polluted
water. This not only affects us, but also plants and wildlife around
the world.
Examples of pollution
1. Acid rain damages trees buildings and statues.
Air Pollution
2. Heavy exhaust fumes from cars can cause thick smog. This can
make difficult to breathe in urban areas.
3. A hole in the ozone layer is growing due to chemicals released by
aerosols, fridges and air-conditioning units.
4. Scientists fear that the rising level of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere is trapping the Sun's heat and causing a gradual
warming of the world's climates. This is called global warming.
Water Pollution
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Activities
1. Find out more about the ozone layer. What is it?
Why is it important?
2. What type of pollution do you think affects your
area most? Give reasons for your answer.
3. Find out which cities have the worst levels of air
pollution and why.
4. Create a poster with the problems of pollution and the
way to reduce or prevent it. Then explain it to your
classmates. Time: 1 session, materials: cardboards,
realia, photos, drawings..
.
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• Mr Blue Sky (by ELO) •
Sun is shinin' in the sky
Mister blue sky, mister blue sky
There ain't a cloud in sight
Mister blue sky
It's stopped rainin' ev'rybody's in
a play
Mister blue, you did it right
And don't you know
But soon comes mister night
creepin' over
It's a beautiful new day hey,hey
Runnin' down the avenue
See how the sun shines brightly in
the city
On the streets where once was
pity
Mister blue sky is living here
today hey, hey
Hey you with the pretty face
Welcome to the human race
A celebration, mister blue sky's up
there waitin'
And today is the day we've waited
for
Now his hand is on your shoulder
Never mind I'll remember you this
I'll remember you this way
Mister blue sky please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long
Where did we go wrong?
Hey there mister blue
Mister blue sky please tell us why
We're so pleased to be with you
Hey there mister blue
You had to hide away for so long
Look around see what you do
We're so pleased to be with you
Where did we go wrong?
Ev'rybody smiles at you
Look around see what you do
Ev'rybody smiles at you
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• Final Review •
Final Review Quiz
Are you ready to check your learning?
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