Download Weather and Climate 7th Grade ESS 7.2 and LS 7.2

Weather and Climate
7th Grade ESS 7.2 and LS 7.2
Engagement
• Why is weather important in Ohio?
• Is climate important in Ohio?
Spend 2 minutes sharing your thoughts with 1
partner.
“Climate is what you expect; Weather is what you get.”
~Mark Twain
“Weather is what you wear each day, and
climate is what’s in your closet!”
• Show video
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/sc
ience/earth-sci/climate-weather-sci/
Vocabulary Terms
• Weather
• Radiation
• Absorption
• Convection Currents
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Meteorology
Atmosphere
Forecast
Climate
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Air pressure
Water Cycle
Fronts
Humidity
Temperature
Precipitation
Recognize that the Sun provides the energy that drives
convection within the atmosphere and oceans,
producing winds and ocean currents;
• How does the Sun’s energy drive our weather
and climate systems?
Think-Pair-Share
The Sun warms the Earth’s atmosphere primarily
because
1. The sunlight is absorbed by the atmosphere.
2. The sunlight and heat from the Sun are absorbed by
the atmosphere.
3. The sunlight is absorbed by the land and oceans.
4. The sunlight and heat from the Sun are absorbed by
the land and oceans.
Earth’s Radiation Budget
Visible
Light
From http://ceres.larc.nasa.gov/ceres_brochure.php?page=2
The solar radiation heats
the surface of the Earth.
Heat is transferred to air molecules that come
in contact with the ground or ocean.
As the
Warmer Air
Rises…
Cooler air is pulled
in from other places
Cooler air is pulled
in from other places
Convection
Where else do we see convection?
Convection current – the
transfer of heat energy
through a fluid due to
gravity
Image from http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/deserts/atmosphere/
Think, Pair, Share…
How does a convection current work?
Why do we have wind?
How does the Sun’s energy drive
ocean currents?
Image from Windows to the Universe
Visuals of Currents and Winds
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/per
petual-ocean.html#.Uj9caNKsiSo
http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/conten
t/visualizations/es2401/es2401page01.cfm?chapter_no=visu
alization
The Wind
• Result of uneven heating of the Earth’s
surface
– causes differences
in air pressure
to develop (cold air
near the poles,
warm air near the
Equator)
– Molecules always move from areas of
high pressure to areas of low pressure
Image courtesy
of NASA.
• Leading edge of an
air mass
• 4 kinds of fronts:
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Cold front
Warm front
Stationary front
Occluded front
front
boundary
• Cold Front: mass of cold air moving into area of warmer
air
• Warm Front: mass of warm air moving into area of cooler
air
• Stationary Front: masses of cold & warm air meet from
opposite directions and stop moving
• Occluded Front: mass of cold air overtakes mass of warm
air moving in same direction
Cold Front
• mass of cold air moving into area of warmer air
• cold air forces warm air up & over the cold air; often creating storms
Image courtesy of http://www.srh.noaa.gov/crp/?n=education-airmasses
Warm Front
• mass of warm air moving into area of cooler air
• As front enters, rain showers, then light rain, then clearing and
warmer
Image courtesy of http://www.srh.noaa.gov/crp/?n=education-airmasses
Stationary Fronts
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air masses are not moving against each other
forms when a cold front or warm front stops moving
may stay put for days
often cloudy with rain or snow
Image from
http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/tstorm/stat_front.html
Occluded Fronts
• forms when a cold air mass overtakes a warm front
• Light to moderate rain before and during
• Clearing and cooler after
Image courtesy of the
http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/tstorm/occl_front.html
Oceans
Show movie
• http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011000
/a011056/The_OCEAN.mov
Where does weather take place?
• The Earth has 4 layers within its
atmosphere. Almost all of the
weather that occurs on Earth
takes place in the lowest layer of
the atmosphere known as the
troposphere.
Lower Layers of Atmosphere
• Troposphere: lowest layer – extends
up to 10km; contains 99% of the water
vapor and 75% of the atmospheric
gases.
• The troposphere is the first layer above
the surface and contains most clouds
(we live here).
• Most weather occurs in this layer.
• Most of the layer’s heat is from
Earth.
• Temperature cools about 6.5 degrees
Celsius per kilometer of altitude.
Lower Layers of Atmosphere
• Stratosphere – directly above
troposphere, extending from 10 km
to about 50 km above Earth’s
surface
• Portion of the upper layer contains
high levels of a gas called ozone.
The ozone layer absorbs harmful
rays from the Sun.
• Many jet aircrafts fly in the
stratosphere because it is very
stable.
Upper Layers of Atmosphere
• Mesosphere – extends from the
top of the stratosphere to about 85
km above Earth
• Coldest layer. Meteors burn up
in the mesosphere.
• *Ionosphere* is found here –
layer of charged particles
Upper Layers of Atmosphere
• Thermosphere – thickest atmospheric
layer found between 85 km and 500 km
above Earth’s surface
• The thermosphere is a layer with
auroras, known for its high
temperatures.
• Warms as it filters out X-rays and
gamma rays from the Sun
• *Ionosphere* here, too – help carry
radio waves.
Upper Layers of Atmosphere
• *Exosphere* – The upper part
of the Thermosphere that
merges into space. The
exosphere is the upper limit of
our atmosphere and is
extremely thin.
• Outer layer where space
shuttle orbits.
World Biomes
What is a Biome?
• Scientists have developed the term Biome to describe
areas on the earth with similar climate, plants, and
animals.
• The plants and animals that live in a specific biome are
physically well adapted for that area.
• Plants and animals that live in a specific biome share
similar characteristics with other plants and animals in
that biome throughout the world.
• The types of biomes that will be explored during this
exercise include: Tundra, Deserts, Grasslands, Taiga,
Temperate Forests, and Rainforests
EXIT
Click on the Biome you wish to explore
Tundra
Temperate
Forest
Taiga
Rainforest
Grassland
Desert
Group Project
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Tundra
Deserts
Grasslands
Taiga
Temperate Forests
Rainforests