Download Elementsofweatherstationdirections2015 (2)

Station 1 – Temperature
Directions: Read and follow the prompts below. Record your responses in your
graphic organizer.
A.
1. Each student will observe one Labquest with working temperature probe.
2. Record the initial temperature shown on the Labquest screen in your graphic
organizer.
3. Gently cove the metal probe of the Labquest in your hand for 60 seconds.
4. Record the final temperature.
5. Calculate and record the temperature difference.
B. In at least one complete sentence, describe what occurred when you held the
thermometer.
C. In at least two complete sentences, explain why it happened. Use the terms heat,
transfer, molecules and energy in your response.
D. Where might this process occur on Earth to drive changes in atmospheric
temperature?
Station 2 – Humidity
Directions: Read and follow the prompts below. Record your responses in your
graphic organizer.
A. After you take a shower, you notice that the mirror becomes foggy. Why does a hot
shower result in condensation on the bathroom mirror? Explain in at least two
complete sentences.
B. Use the graph below to state the relationship between air temperature and water
vapor capacity.
C. How does the relationship apply to the hot shower/foggy mirror observation?
Explain in at least one complete sentence.
Station 3 – AIR PRESSURE & DENSITY
Materials: Examine the materials at your table. You should have two (2) red blocks,
two (2) blue blocks and one clear strip of cellophane.
To study pressure, we must first define it. Air pressure is described as the weight (a
force) of an overlying column of air acting on a unit area of horizontal surface. To
investigate the concept of pressure we will simulate the use of tall and short “blocks”.
Tall blocks are cube-shaped and short blocks have the same size base as the tall
blocks but are half as high.
Whether tall or short, the blocks employed in this investigation have the following
common characteristics:
a. All
blocks have the same weight regardless of the volume they occupy.
b. All blocks have the same size square base.
c. All individual blocks exert the same downward pressure on the surface beneath
them (because the equivalent weights are acting on the same size bases).
**The red block represents warm air and the blue block represents cold air**
Place 1 red block approximately 1 inch apart from 1 blue block. Place the cellophane
on across the top of both blocks. Then place one more block of the same color on top
so you have 2 blocks of the same color in each stack with the cellophane in the middle
of both block stacks.
1) Write a sentence explaining the density differences of cold air and warm air using
the simulation in your experiment. Use the terms mass, area and pressure in
your response.
2) What does the cellophane represent? Think in terms of altitude and pressure.
How does the rate of the decrease in air pressure for warm and cold air differ as
you increase in altitude?
Station 4 – Cloud Cover
Directions: Examine each image (A, B, and C). Each image shows a portion of the sky
at a particular location. The viewpoint allows you, the viewer, to estimate what
percentage of each image is covered by clouds. For example, if clouds cover onequarter of the sky, there is 25 percent cloud cover.
A. For each image, estimate the percentage of the sky that is covered by clouds.
Use the chart below to classify the sky accordingly. For example, with 25% cloud
cover, the classification is scattered.
B. Meteorologists observe air masses that travel from one place to another across
the Earth. One way they identify these air masses is pressure. Generally, low
pressure systems are associated with stormy weather and high pressure
systems are associated with clear skies. Choose one of the images and write a
sentence describing what the air pressure in this image probably was and why.
C. Hypothesize as to why colder air generally has less clouds.
Station 5 - Precipitation
Directions: Match the letter of each definition below with the correct term on your
graphic organizer. Discuss these words with your group to determine the correct
meanings. Once you have matched the definitions to the terms, use the chart below to
draw the correct symbol next to each term.
A. liquid water in the form of droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor
B. light rain falling in very fine drops
C. fog or haze combined with other atmospheric pollutants
D. pellets of frozen rain that fall in showers from cumulonimbus clouds
E. produces lightning, gusty winds, heavy rain, and hail
F. scattered rainfall of short duration
G. flakes of crystalline water ice that falls from clouds
H. snowflakes that melt and re-freeze in the atmosphere and form ice pellets
I. rain that falls when surface temperatures are below freezing
J. water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface
K. dust, smoke and other dry particles obscure the clarity of the sky
L. short periods of light to moderate snowfall