Weather and Climate 7 th Grade ESS 7.2 and LS 7.2

1. Weather and Climate 7th Grade ESS 7.2 and LS 7.2

2. Engagement • Why is weather important in Ohio? • Is climate important in Ohio? Spend 2 minutes sharing your thoughts with 1 partner.

3. “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!”

4. Show video http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/science/earth-sci/climate-weather-sci/

5. Vocabulary Terms • Air pressure • Water Cycle • Fronts • Humidity • Temperature • Precipitation • Weather • Radiation • Absorption • Convection Currents • Meteorology • Atmosphere • Forecast • Climate

6. 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?

7. Think-Pair-Share The Sun warms the Earth’s atmosphere primarily because • The sunlight is absorbed by the atmosphere. • The sunlight and heat from the Sun are absorbed by the atmosphere. • The sunlight is absorbed by the land and oceans. • The sunlight and heat from the Sun are absorbed by the land and oceans.

8. Earth’s Radiation Budget Visible Light From http://ceres.larc.nasa.gov/ceres_brochure.php?page=2

9. The solar radiation heats the surface of the Earth. Heat is transferred to air molecules that come in contact with the ground or ocean.

10. As the Warmer Air Rises… Cooler air is pulled in from other places Cooler air is pulled in from other places Convection

11. Where else do we see convection?

12. Convection current – the transfer of heat energy through a fluid due to gravity Low Pressure WIND High Pressure

13. Image from http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/deserts/atmosphere/

14. Think, Pair, Share… How does a convection current work? Why do we have wind?

15. How does the Sun’s energy drive ocean currents? Image from Windows to the Universe

16. Visuals of Currents and Winds http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/perpetual-ocean.html#.Uj9caNKsiSo http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es2401/es2401page01.cfm?chapter_no=visualization

17. 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.

18. Frontal Boundaries • Leading edge of an air mass • 4 kinds of fronts: • Cold front • Warm front • Stationary front • Occluded front front boundary

19. Weather Terms/Symbols • 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. Stationary Fronts • 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

23. 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

24. Oceans Show movie • http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011000/a011056/The_OCEAN.mov

25. 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.

27. 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.

28. 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.

29. 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

30. 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.

31. 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.

33. World Biomes

34. 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

35. World Biomes EXIT Click on the Biome you wish to explore Tundra Desert Temperate Forest Taiga Rainforest Grassland Biome Activity Go to Specific Activity Question

36. Group Project Tundra Deserts Grasslands Taiga Temperate Forests Rainforests