WEATHER
Atmosphere: thin layer of air
that forms a protective
covering around the planet – no
atmosphere, extremely hot
days and extremely cold nights.
 The atmosphere was
produced by erupting
volcanoes, spewing Nitrogen
and CO2, but little oxygen.
Early organisms released
oxygen while making food.
Today’s atmosphere is
78% Nitrogen
21% Oxygen
1% Trace –
0.93% Argon
0.03% CO2
0.04% Neon, Xenon, Helium,
Krypton, Ozone, Hydrogen, and
Methane.
The atmosphere contains solids:
dust, which is carried by the
wind, salt, which is picked up
from ocean spray, and pollen,
given off from plants.
Atmospheric Pressure:
Football analogy: Person on the
bottom of the tackle feels the
weight more than the person on
the top. Same with the
atmosphere – Molecules are
closer together nearer to
Earth’s surface – more air
pressure. Less air pressure
farther from Earth’s surface.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmQ8FWnM0fA&list=PL2E21BA2F02061C22
Air Pressure video
Temperature Differences in
Atmosphere:
The Sun is the source of most
of the energy on Earth. Energy
must pass through the layers of
the atmosphere. Different
layers have different gases
which affects the temperature
of that layer. The ozone layer
lies between the troposphere
and stratosphere. The layer
protects life on Earth from the
Sun’s harmful UV radiation,
which can cause skin cancer,
cataracts, or crop damage.
The ozone layer is being
destroyed by CFCs –
chlorofluorocarbons, which are
produced during the production
of Styrofoam and used in
refrigeration, air conditioning,
and aerosols.
Energy Transfer in the
atmosphere: As stated earlier,
most energy on Earth comes
from the sun – which drives
wind and ocean currents.
This heat or energy flows from
an object with a higher
temperature to an object with a
lower temperature.
Example: Energy from sun to
rocks, roads, and water…
Heat is transferred through
the atmosphere three
different ways:
Radiation, Conduction,
Convection
Radiation: energy that is
transferred in rays or waves
Feel the heat of the sun
Conduction: Transfer of energy
from warmer to cooler objects
Sun heats the
sand and sand heats your feet.
Convection: Transfer of heat by
the flow of material
The wind
All three
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYnP4TGOGRY&list=PL538B87C890F6F3A1
Mr. Parr The Heating Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr8Z4SCETPs&list=PLDFAAB53FAC40EF9D
Mr. Parr Heat Transfer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atnjo7dD_bA
Prezi for Heat Transfer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUEPGMnRqGs Mr. Parr Radiation, Conduction,
Convection
The most basic concept of all: convection currents! I've seen many ways to introduce this concept. One uses Baby Food Jars. Fill one
baby food jar to the brim with very hot, red-dyed water. Fill another baby food jar with very cold, blue-dyed water. Cover the red
jar with an index card, turn it over and place over the blue jar. Slowly remove the index card. The colors don't mix, because cold air
(water) sinks and warm air (water) rises. Holding the two jars firmly, flip them over. The warm water will begin to rise into the blue,
turning the color to purple. Very dramatic. They'll want to see it again and again.
Movement of Air
Uneven heating of Earth’s
surface by the sun causes some
areas to be warmer than
others. Warm air expands and
becomes less dense than cooler
air – creates the wind.
Heated Air: Because the Earth
is curved it receives different
amounts of radiation from the
sun – more direct at the
equator and more spread out at
the poles. Heated air at the
equator is less dense, so it is
displaced by denser, colder air
which creates convection
currents.
Coriolis Effect: Rotation of
Earth causes moving air to
appear to turn right north of
the equator and left south of
the equator. The flow of air
caused by the differences in
the amount of solar radiation
received on Earth and the
Coriolis effect create distinct
wind patterns that influence
weather.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcPs_OdQOYU Coriolis Effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TjOy56-x8Q Coriolis Effect at Harvard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMKa_ubu8UM Detailed Explanation of
Coriolis Effect
Global Winds: Wind patterns
on Earth that help sailors
navigate on the oceans.
Doldrums: a rainy area of little
or no wind near the equator.
Sun heats the air, it rises,
creates low pressure and little
wind, rising air cools, causes
rain.
Trade Winds: Air at Earth’s
surface near 30 degrees north
and south latitude creates
steady winds that sailors used
to establish trade routes.
Prevailing Westerlies: Blow in
the opposite direction of the
trade winds. Responsible for
most of the movement of
weather across North America.
Polar Easterlies: Winds found
near the poles. Blow from the
southeast to the northwest.
Jet Stream: Strong winds that
blow near the top of the
troposphere. Helps move
storms across the country.
Pilots use the Jetstream to
save time and fuel.
Horse Latitudes or Subtropical High are subtropical latitudes between 30 and 35 degrees both north and south. This
region, under a ridge of high pressure called the subtropical high, is an area which receives little precipitation and has
variable winds mixed with calm.
Local Winds: Smaller wind
systems affect local weather
whereas global winds determine
weather patterns for the
planet. Near bodies of water,
land and sea breezes are
created.
Sun warms the land more than
water, heated air is less dense
and has lower pressure. Cooler,
denser air over the water has
higher pressure and flows
toward the warmer, less dense
air. Wind blows from the sea
toward the land – Sea Breeze.
At night, land cools more
quickly than water. Cooler,
denser air above land moves
over water as the warm air over
the water rises. Movement of
air toward water from land is a
Land Breeze.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQV72Yzmjyc
5 Minute Sea Breeze/Land Breeze Lesson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4O9z_R5ZSc
Mr. Parr Winds Blow
Land and Sea Breeze Diagram Extra Credit: Due 4/14
See worksheet below
What is Weather?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=wUiwtVSkUwQ&
NR=1 NASA Weather Connect
BrainPop – Weather
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvieuPVM7Ys Extreme Weather
Weather is the state of the
atmosphere at a specific time
and place. It describes
conditions such as air pressure,
wind, temperature, and the
amount of moisture in the air.
Weather is the result of heat
from the sun and Earth’s air
and water.
Air is made of molecules that
are always moving. Temperature
is a measure of the motion of
molecules.
Low temp, less movement, cold
High temp, more movement, hot
Low pressure
High pressure
Video for fun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkRLPwmLZNo&list=PLL4tQlIjzCe1ix
WKZlcwMBF2jnQ9tBveq Grover does the weather!
WIND: Movement of air in a
specific direction. There is
wind because air moves from an
area of high pressure to an
area of low pressure.
Measure wind using the
Beaufort Scale.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBqohRu2RRk Bill Nye Wind
The Beaufort Scale
How to measure wind direction
and speed:
Wind direction can be measured
with a wind vane. The arrow
points in the direction from
which the wind is blowing.
A wind sock is open on one end
which catches the air and
points in the direction toward
the blowing wind.
Wind Speed is measured with
an anemometer. The rotating
cups spin faster when the wind
is strong.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3uanOS2Bq0 Anemometer
Other Weather Instruments
Barometer: Measures
atmospheric pressure
Barometer
Rain Gauge:
Measures the amount of rainfall
Hygrometer: An instrument
used to measure the humidity in
an environment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBfaAN_tWW4
Weather Instruments by Mr. Parr
Humidity: The amount of water
vapor present in the
atmosphere. More water vapor
is present when the air is warm
that when it is cool.
Relative Humidity – a measure
of the amount of water vapor
present in the air compared to
the amount needed for
saturation (full of water) at a
specific temp.
BrainPop: Humidity
Dew Point: The temperature at
which air is saturated (full of
moisture) and condensation
forms.
Doppler Radar:
the specific term
"Doppler Radar" has erroneously become
popularly synonymous with the type of radar
used in meteorology. Most modern weather
radars use the pulse-doppler technique to
examine the motion of precipitation, but it is
only a part of the processing of their data.
When does it rain? A low pressure system, or
"low," is an area where the atmospheric
pressure is lower than that of the area
surrounding it. Lows are usually associated with
high winds, warm air, and atmospheric lifting.
Because of this, lows normally produce clouds,
precipitation, and other bad weather such as
tropical storms and cyclones.
CLOUDS
Cloud Formation: Clouds form
as warm air is forced upward,
expands, and cools. The air
condenses and forms water
droplets. Billions of droplets
form a cloud. Fun Fact: A
cloud weighs 2.2 billion pounds,
Assuming a blue whale is close
to 160 (160,000 kg) tons in
weight, a cumulus cloud weighs
as much as 6,268.75 blue
whales!
Clouds are classified mainly by
shape and height. Some clouds
extend high into the sky, hang
low, some are dense and bring
precipitation, and others are
thin and wispy. Three main
cloud types: stratus, cumulus,
and cirrus.
Stratus Cumulus
Cirrus
Form
layers
or smooth,
even
sheets
-fair
weather or
rain and
snow
-fog
Curly
Wispy
high thin
feathery
ice crystals
-fair
weather or
approaching
storms
Masses of
puffy, white
clouds with flat
bases
-fair weather
or
thunderstorms
Height of clouds:
Prefixes describe the height of
clouds –
Cirro – high clouds
Alto – middle elevation clouds
Strato – low elevation clouds
Rain or Snow-Producing Clouds
have Nimbus attached to them,
Latin for “dark rain cloud”.
When a cumulus cloud grows
into a thunderstorm, it is called
a cumulonimbus cloud.
Nimbostratus clouds are
layered clouds that bring long,
steady rain or snowfall.
BrainPop – Clouds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-ipJLjiIcc
Mr. Parr Storm Clouds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EThP6vWqRDc Cloud in a
bottle
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZCBj_C7vIw
Cumulonimbus cloud formation time lapse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW2d6-155Vc
Australian Thunderstorm formation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MnxnOHCCic NASA
Clouds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMagDRCpJ14
Weather 101: Cloud Types
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGTSNYF8qIk
20 Amazing Clouds
Answer the questions below:
Precipitation
Water falling from the clouds
is called precipitation. Four
different types of precip: rain,
snow, sleet, or hail. Drops of
water falling in temperatures
above freezing is rain
(raindrops have different
sizes), snow forms when air
temperatures are so cold that
water vapor changes directly to
a solid. Sleet forms when
raindrops pass through a layer
of freezing air near Earth’s
surface, forming ice pellets.
Hail is precipitation in the form
of lumps of ice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=DdAGIigvrfg&feature=endscr
een How hail forms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dE1z9Ax3XY Hail Storm
Weather Patterns:
Air Masses – large body of air
that has properties similar to
the part of Earth’s surface
over which it develops. Air mass
over the tropics is warmer that
an air mass over the northern
regions. Air mass over land is
drier than one that develops
over water. Changes in weather
occur when there is movement
of air masses.
High and Low Pressure: Winds
blow from an area of high
pressure to an area of low
pressure. High pressure areas
are associated with fair
weather. Changes in
atmospheric pressure affects
the weather. Areas of low
pressure usually have cloudy
weather.
FRONTS:
A boundary between two air
masses of different density,
moisture, or temperature is
called a front. Cloudiness,
precipitation, and storms
sometimes occur at frontal
boundaries. 4 types of fronts:
Cold, Warm, Occluded,
Stationary
Cold front – cold air wedges
under warm air. Warm air is
lifted, it cools and water vapor
condenses, forming clouds –
thunderstorms or tornadoes
may form.
Warm front – lighter, warmer
air advances over heavier,
colder air.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huKYKykjcm0
Cold and Warm fronts
Occluded fronts – three air
masses of different temps,
cold, cool, and warm, forms
when a cold air mass moves
towards a cool air with warm air
in between – Rain.
Stationary fronts - occur when
the boundary between air
masses stop advancing. Can
stay in place for days producing
light wind and rain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPC5i6w3yDI
Fronts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD4hSW2mys0&list=PLDFAAB53FA
C40EF9D Mr. Parr Weather Fronts
Severe Weather: Pose danger
for people, structures, and
animals. Thunderstorms,
tornadoes, blizzards - Cannot
participate in normal routines.
Thunderstorm – heavy rains,
lightning, thunder, and hail are
possible. Warm, moist air can
be forced upward where it
cools and condensation occurs,
forming cumulonimbus clouds.
Lightning and Thunder –
Thunder results from the rapid
heating of air around a bolt of
lightning (temperatures of
about 30,000 degrees Celcius).
Extreme heat causes air around
lightning to expand rapidly,
then cools quickly and
contracts. The rapid movement
of molecules forms sound waves
heard as thunder. Lightning is
the rapid movement of air
within a cloud (warm air rises,
cold air sinks), when it becomes
oppositely charged, current
flows between the opposite
electrical charges, and lightning
flashes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLWIBrweSU8
Lightning
Tornadoes – Severe
thunderstorms can produce
tornadoes. A violent, whirling
wind that moves in a narrow
path over land. Differences in
wind speed and direction
creates a rotating column of air
parallel to the ground. A
thunderstorm’s updraft can tilt
the rotating column upward into
the thunderstorm creating a
funnel cloud – a tornado.
How tornadoes are measured
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyZx-fk1kXA Tornado formation
Hurricanes – the most powerful
storm, a large, swirling, low
pressure system that forms
over the warm Atlantic Ocean.
Turns heat energy from the
ocean into wind. Winds of 74
m/hr required to be a
hurricane. Typhoons in the
Pacific and cyclones in the
Indian Ocean. Hurricanes begin
off the coast of Africa and gain
strength as they travel across
the ocean.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNEG4YKElgY Formation of
hurricane
Blizzards – A winter storm if
the winds are 56 km/hr, the
temp is low, visibility is less
than 400m in falling or blowing
snow, and if conditions last 3 or
more hours.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v2LmDUzscM
Blizzard time lapse
BrainPop: Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, Hurricanes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOw6ONcKk4g Mr. Parr
Hurricanes and Twisters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXTUYCucd7k&list=PL538B87C890F
6F3A1 Mr. Parr Like an F6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nZlGg59MRw
Mr. Parr Thunderstorms