Download Storms (Weather) Class Notes

Name: Class Set Notes
Quiz Date: 1-10-13
Per:
This material can be found in the Catastrophic Events book (pages 12-111) and in your
ScienceSaurus (topics 212-230).
Good BrainPOPs to watch on this topic include: Weather, Wind, Hurricanes, Tornadoes,
Climate Types, Clouds, Thunderstorms, Humidity, Temperature, Earth’s Atmosphere, Ozone
Layer, Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming.
Think about the main ideas or concepts that we learned about in each of our labs/lessons.
Use words, diagrams, sketches, phrases, bullets, etc. to record the main ideas in the boxes
below. Make the information meaningful for YOUR BRAIN (think about how you learn best).
Lesson 2 (Vortex Lab):
Focus Question: What are the properties of a vortex and how do they relate to large rotating
storms?
-Vortices (plural for vortex) are large spinning bodies of fluids (liquids or gasses).
-Tornados and hurricanes are examples of vortices.
-The speed of the vortex is fastest toward the center (vertical axis).
-The fastest wind speeds in a hurricane are just outside the eye wall (center).
-The rotation of the Earth causes hurricanes to spin (Coriolis Effect).
-Hurricanes occur in the Atlantic and Western Pacific and spin Counterclockwise.
- Typhoons occur in the Indian Ocean and Eastern Pacific and spin Counterclockwise.
-Hurricanes are fueled by warm water. Once they hit land or cool water they die down.
-In the Southern Hemisphere tropical storms (Cyclones) spin in the opposite direction
(Clockwise).
Lesson 3 (Heating Earth’s Surfaces):
Focus Question: How does the heat energy from the sun warm up Earth’s different surfaces and
how does that relate to weather? (Part of the bigger “Why does the wind blow”? Story)
-The sun’s energy is transferred to the Earth by radiation.
-Some surfaces heat and cool quickly (like the soil). The surfaces that can’t hold their
heat have a low specific heat capacity.
-Some surfaces heat and cool very slowly (like the water). The surfaces that can hold their
heat have a high specific heat capacity.
-An area that is close to a large body of water may be warmed up by the water in the
winter and cooled by the water in the summer. For example Buffalo, NY gets lake effect
snow at the beginning of winter because Lake Erie is still significantly warmer than the air.
Lesson 4 (Heat Transfer and the Movement of Air):
Focus Question: How do Earth’s surfaces affect the air masses above them? (Part of the bigger
“Why does the wind blow?” Story)
There is a great website with animations of the 4 types of fronts on Mr. Abe’s Website.
-Heat is the amount of energy something has based on the speed of the molecules. (The
faster the molecules the more heat.)
-The warm water heated up the air above it.
-The cold water did not heat up the air above it.
-Warm surfaces of the Earth transfer their heat to the air BY RADIATION and then the
air warms up. (THE SUN DOES NOT HEAT THE AIR!)
-Cooler surfaces of the Earth have a less significant impact on the air above it (in fact the
air may transfer some if its heat to the surface).
-Hot air rises because the molecules move faster and spread out making the air less dense.
-Cool air sinks because the molecules move slower and bunch up making the air more
dense.
Lesson 5 (Convection Currents in the Air):
Focus Question: What happens when two air masses meet? (Part of the bigger “Why does the wind
blow?” Story)
-The air above the candle rose. The air above the ice water sank, shot across to the
candle and then rose.
-Warm air rises in our atmosphere and cool air sinks. This is called convection.
-The mixing of air in our atmosphere (convection) creates wind.
-An air mass is a large body/pocket/bubble/chunk/etc. of air that
has similar temperature and moisture (water).
-Air masses can be warm and dry, warm and moist, cool and dry or
cool and moist.
-When two air masses meet the boundary is known as a front.
-Cold fronts occur when cooler air is bulldozing warmer air up.
This can result in a violent mixing of air with low pressure, high
winds, lots of precipitation (rain) followed by cooler weather.
-Warm fronts occur when warmer air is gently rising over and
pushing out cool air. This can result in a more gentle mixing of
air, gentle wind, some precipitation (rain) followed by warmer air.
-Occluded fronts occur when warmer air is smashed between two
cooler air masses. The weather is very similar to a cold front.
-Stationary fronts occur when a warm air mass is sitting next to a
cooler air mass, but neither is really doing any pushing. Right along
the front there is usually a mixing of air with rain.
-When a cool dry air mass meets a warm moist air mass violent
mixing can occur and a thunderstorm or even tornado could be
the result.
Lesson 6 (Temperature, Pressure and Cloud Formation)
Focus Questions: What conditions need to exist for clouds to form?
-When warm air masses rise it creates low atmospheric pressure. The air cools down; the
molecules move more slowly, the water molecules condense onto dust particles making
clouds. If condensation continues it will start to rain.
-When cooler air masses sink it creates high atmospheric pressure. The air warms up; the
molecules move more quickly, the water droplets evaporate and the clouds disappear.
-High pressure is associated with fair (nice) weather.
-Low pressure is associated with stormy/windy/rainy weather.
-The rising warm air cools, the molecules slow down and condense on dust particles making
clouds. (The 3 C’s: cool, condense, cloud)
-The warmer the air, the more water it can hold; the cooler the air the less water it can
hold.
-Relative Humidity is the amount of water in the air compared to the amount of water the
air can hold. For example, if it is 73% humidity the air is holding 73% of the water that is
capable to hold.
Cloud Mobile:
Focus Question: What types of clouds are there and what do they mean as far as the weather?
-Cirrus clouds are high elevation, thin, wispy clouds made of ice crystals usually associated
with fair weather.
-Cumulus clouds are white, puffy clouds that are associated with warm air rising.
Normally fair weather or changing weather
-Stratus clouds are lower elevation, layered, drizzly, rainy clouds. Overcast rainy weather.
-Cumulonimbus are storm clouds with vertical development (winds that go up and down).
These clouds are associated with thunderstorms, tornadoes, severe weather.
-Nimbus on the end of a cloud name means it is a rain cloud. For example Cumulonimbus
clouds are storm clouds.
-Alto means middle. For example Altostratus clouds are layered clouds that are higher
than normal.
-You can blend the cloud types to create new categories. For example cirrocumulus are
thin wispy, but puffy clouds.
Atmospheric (Barometric) Pressure, Precipitation and Wind Graph:
Focus Question: What relationship exists between atmospheric pressure, precipitation and wind?
Did not get to this.
Atmosphere Lab:
Focus Question: What is the composition and what are the main properties of Earth’s atmosphere?
-The atmosphere is 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen and less than 1% trace gasses (argon, carbon
dioxide, methane, water vapor, etc.)
-The atmosphere keeps the Earth warm and livable since the greenhouse gases (Carbon
Dioxide, Water, Methane and Nitrous Oxide) absorb the radiated energy from Earth’s
surfaces. Without the greenhouse effect the earth would be too cold for life.
-The ozone layer and the ionosphere absorb the Sun’s harmful energy before it reaches us
here on the surface. Without the two “invisible force fields” the Sun’s harmful radiation
would not allow us to live on earth.
-The lower levels of the atmosphere (troposphere and stratosphere) becomes increasingly
thinner, and as a result, colder as you go up in elevation.
Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change Lab:
Focus Question: How do the greenhouse gases and my actions affect the overall temperature of the
atmosphere?
-The Greenhouse Effect is the phenomena that results when light enters an object where
the air is trapped. The light is absorbed and transformed into heat and the heat is
trapped. Some examples include a car sitting in the sun, a greenhouse and the bottle of
trapped air from the lab.
-In our atmosphere the greenhouse gases (Carbon Dioxide, Water, Methane and Nitrous
Oxide) similarly trap the heat from the sun’s energy making our atmosphere warmer.
-The levels of greenhouse gases (especially Carbon Dioxide) are on the rise. We are
starting to see an overall warming trend of the Earth’s Atmosphere called Global Warming.
This is leading to many changes in climate including; melting of ice caps and glaciers
resulting in a rising of sea levels, changing patterns and severity of weather, changes in the
migration and range of organisms as well as the overall health of ecosystems and organisms.
-Our actions may be contributing to this change in climate and any time we can reduce the
amount of greenhouse gasses we produce by our actions can make a change for the good.
Tracking a Hurricane:
Focus Question: What determines the path of a hurricane?
Did not get to this.
Hint, Hint, Wink, Wink Question: Peety heard a cold front was going to come through on
Wednesday morning. What weather can Peety expect? (Be sure to include precipitation,
temperature, pressure and other significant weather.)
Peety shoud be ready for low barometric (atmospheric) pressure, lots of rain, lots of wind
(stormy weather) and cooler temperatures.