Bellringer-Day 06

Create a station model using the following information:A. The wind is blowing at 5 knots in the southwestern

direction.B. The temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit C. The dew point is 50 degrees FahrenheitD. It is a clear day outside

In which atmospheric layer do thunderstorms occur?A. ThermosphereB. MesosphereC. StratosphereD. Troposphere

Hurricane Simulation

• Using your chromebook, complete the “Hurricane Simulation Lab,” on Google classroom!

• Careful when answering the questions-if you get it wrong, it will make you start over!

Hurricane Prompt

• Put the following information into a paragraph of at least 7 sentences:1. What conditions do you think should be present

for a hurricane to form? How do you know?

2. Have you ever experienced a hurricane? If so, what was it like? If not, write about any time that you have heard about a hurricane on the news.

3. How do you think a hurricane differs from a thunderstorm or tornado?

Hurricanes

• Whirling cyclones that produce winds of at least 74mph

– U.S. - hurricanes

Development

• Late summer – warm waters to provide heat and moisture

Eye: Center of storm,

warmest part, winds

and rain cease

Eye wall: Strongest

winds and rain

Spiral Rain Bands:

extend out from

the eye

Video

Parts of a Hurricane

Development

• Eye – air is descending

– No precipitation or wind

– High pressure

Hurricane Intensity• Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

Hurricane Warning and Watches

• Hurricane Watch: could see hurricane related hazards within 48 hours

• Hurricane Warning: Could see hurricane winds within 36 hours

How can we stay safe in the event of severe weather?

• Stay indoors

• Tornadoes-find a safe place; basement best, or anywhere away from windows and loose objects (closet, bathroom, etc.)

– If outside, find a low lying ditch

• Hurricanes-Follow hurricane procedure, stock up on food and prepare for power outages; evacuate if necessary!

Reading Comprehensions

• http://mrnussbaum.com/hurricane-reading-comprehension/

• http://mrnussbaum.com/tornado-reading-comprehension/

• http://mrnussbaum.com/lightning-and-thunder-reading-comprehension/

• Must complete with 80% accuracy-must show Ms. Farris each completed passage!

Bellringer-Day 071. What causes lightning during a thunderstorm? What

about thunder?

2. Compare weather to climate.

3. What would you say the value of understanding climate is? In other words, why should we keep track of climate?

Remember, your weather projects are due this Tuesday, November 24th!

Bellringer-Day 08 Continue working on your storm research powerpoint

You will have 30 minutes to do this; if you do not finish, you can finish at home!

Due in full on Friday

Remember, your weather projects are due this Tuesday, November 24th!

Weather Vs. Climate Remember the difference between weather and

climate??

Weather is what’s happening right now (temperature, humidity, etc.)

Climate is a collection of data over a long period of time-describes the place!

World Climates Köppen Climate Classification Systems

Most commonly used system for classification of climates

Uses mean monthly and annual temperature and precipitation to classify climates.

Five principal groups Tropical Polar

Dry Highland

Temperate

Climates 101

How do we measure climate?

Tropical Climates Constant high temperature-no winters!

May be rainforest, monsoon, wet/dry savanna

All months above 64 degrees Fahrenheit!

Temperate Climate Moist, Mid-Latitude

Summer temperatures are hot

In some areas, winters are mild (warmer temperatures), while others are classified with winters below 27 degrees Fahrenheit (colder temperatures)

Polar Climate Very cold year round-no summers!

Warmest month still below 50 degrees Fahrenheit!

Dry Climates Very dry; little precipitation all year

Yearly precipitation is not as great as the loss of water by evaporation.

Highland ClimateStrongly affected by the altitude

Highland climates are cooler and wetter than nearby areas at lower elevations

Exit Ticket-Did the information “stick?”1. What climate group would you say North Carolina

falls under?

2. What factors would you predict to have an impact on climate?

Bellringer-Day 09

1. What are the main types of climate under the Koppen Classification System?

2. How can temperature and rainfall indicate climate?

STUDYING CLIMATE CHANGE

Studying climate change

How do scientists know all these things about what climate was like in the past, before we were here?

A number of methods have been developed…

Studying climate change: Ice coresIce caps and glaciers accumulated over thousands or millions of years.

They contain bubbles of gas preserved from the time when each layer formed.

Scientists drill cores and analyze the gas bubbles in each layer to see what the atmosphere was like at that time.

Figure 12.5

Studying climate change: Pollen analysis

Scientists also drill cores into the sediments of ancient lake beds.

By identifying types of pollen grains in each layer, they can tell what types of plants were growing there at the time.

From The Science behind the Stories

Studying climate change: Modeling

To predict what will happen to climate in the future, scientists use climate models:

Scientists generally find that….

Both natural factors and human-caused factors are influencing climate!

NATURAL PROCESSES THAT CHANGE CLIMATE

Understanding Climate Changes

The Greenhouse Effect◦ Is a natural warming of both Earth’s lower atmosphere and Earth’s Surface.

◦ Major Gases: Water vapor, Carbon dioxide, Methane

◦ Makes life as we know it possible on Earth

◦ The Greenhouse Effect is natural; we will talk about Global Warming a bit later!

Natural Processes that Change Climate

Volcanic Eruptions The presence of volcanic

ash, dust, and aerosols in the air increase the amount of solar radiation that is reflected back into space. ◦ This causes Earth’s lower atmosphere to cool.

Ocean Circulations

Changes in ocean circulation also can cause fluctuation

◦ EX: El Niño

Natural Processes that Change Climate

Solar Activity

Sunspots correspond with warm periods in Europe and North America

Earth Motions Plate movements

can cause changes in climate

Changes in the shape of Earth’s orbit and the tilt of Earth’s axis affect global climates.

Natural Processes that Change Climate

CO2 Fluctuations

◦ Changes in plant growth rates

◦ CO2 levels fall during the growing season and rise in the winter

El Niño and La Niña

In normal conditions, winds push warm waters (red) to the western Pacific Ocean.

This allows cold water to well up from the deep in the eastern Pacific.

From The Science behind the Stories

El Niño and La Niña

In an El Niño event, winds weaken, warm water sloshes to the east, and prevents the cold upwelling. La Niña is the opposite:Cold water spreads west

Occurs every 3-7 years They events influence rainfall

and temperature globally, especially on each side of the Pacific (droughts, floods, disrupt fisheries, etc.)

El Nino Current Event

Find a current article on El Nino (last 3 months). Follow the steps below on your blank sheet of paper:1. Name:

2. Title of Article:

3. Source: (APA format)

4. Summary of Event (5-7 sentences)

5. Your Opinion (5-7 sentences)

Bellringer: Day 10

1. Give an example of a natural influence on climate.

2. What human influenced factors do you expect to have an effect on climate?

HUMAN EFFECT ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate and climate change

Global climate change = changes in climate on a worldwide scale

Climate changes naturally, and always has, but the recent rapid warming of the planet and its change in atmospheric composition are widely thought due to human activities.

Radiation, atmosphere, and temperature

Earth’s temperature depends on how much of the sun’s radiation enters the atmosphere and how much escapes back into space.

Incoming solar radiation is:◦absorbed at the surface, or◦reflected by the atmosphere, or◦reflected by the surface into space.

Infrared radiation emanating from Earth’s heated surface is:

◦emitted into space, or◦absorbed by gases and kept in the atmosphere.

Figure 12.1

Radiation, atmosphere, and temperature

Atmospheric gases that absorb the emanating radiation are greenhouse gases.

By absorbing and re-emitting this radiation, they warm Earth’s atmosphere and surface, like a greenhouse.

This popularly called the greenhouse effect.

Rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in recent decades have resulted in global warming, an increase in Earth’s average

surface temperature.

Human Impact on Climate Changes

Global Warming◦ As a result of increases in CO2

as well as other greenhouse gases, global temperatures have increased.

◦ Affects multiple natural events like the weather & melting the polar ice caps.

CO2

We focus primarily on CO2 when discussing global warming and climate change due to a few factors:1. CO2 has caused the most warming

2. CO2 stays in the atmosphere longest (sometimes hundreds of years)

CO2 is natural, but too much can cause problems...

So how is CO2 being added to the atmosphere?

Carbon dioxide increase

Burning of fossil fuels: We remove carbon-rich fuels from the ground where they have been stored for millions of years, and combust them in an instant, sending CO2 into the atmosphere.

Deforestation: Cutting down trees, removing vegetation from the land, decreases the sink for carbon. Some of the C in plants becomes CO2 sent into the atmosphere.

Increase of other greenhouse gases

Halocarbon gases (which include CFCs) are powerful greenhouse gases.

◦Their effects are slowing (due to the Montreal Protocol that we will talk about later)

Water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas. Its future changes, if any, remain uncertain.

EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Sea Level Rise

Globally warming temperatures are causing sea levels to rise worldwide, endangering many island nations.

Sea level rise

Sea level rise could also damage the coastlines and ecosystems of the U.S.

A 51-centimeters (20-inches) sea level rise would inundate wetlands and dry lands on all U.S. coasts.

Figure 12.21

Predicted U.S. impacts: Sea level rises

All areas of the U.S. coast would suffer erosion.

Figure 12.11b,c

Ocean Acidification

◦CO2 gets absorbed by the ocean, lowering pH & making carbonic acid.

◦Coral Reefs: High levels of CO2

negatively affects corals making their shells.

◦50% of coral reefs have been destroyed

◦ Ocean Acidification

Stratospheric ozone depletion

Chlorofluorocarbons, or CFC’s, contribute to ozone depletion

In 1985, the “ozone hole” was detected over Antarctica.

Ozone levels had declined 40–60% over the previous decade.

Figure 11.17a

Stratospheric ozone depletionScientists worried about the effects of extra cancer-causing UV on people, organisms, ecosystems.

The ozone hole

(blue) reached its

greatest extent in

September 2000

(satellite imagery).

Figure 11.17b

There is still debate over climate change.

Virtually all climate researchers agree that global climate is changing and human fossil fuels play a role

There is uncertainty over other possible factors that may be involved, and how they might interact with human causes.

Debate is over what to do: would cost of reducing emission outweigh cost of environmental effects? Should industrialized nations contribute more? How should costs be allocated? Etc…

Exit Ticket-Did the information “ stick?”

1. What are the main greenhouse gases?

2. Explain 2 consequences of global climate change that we went over today.

3. Briefly, provide the pro and con side of the global warming debate.

Bellringer: Day 11

1. What is the primary function of the glass of a greenhouse? How does this relate to our own greenhouse effect on Earth?

2. Why is CO2 the most talked about greenhouse gas?

3. If the greenhouse effect is natural, why are we concerned about the warming of the Earth due to an increase in greenhouse gases?

Bellringer: Day 12

1. What is the difference between the greenhouse effect and global warming?

2. Hypothesize ways to reduce climate change and air pollution.

Outdoor air pollutionAir pollution = material added to the atmosphere that can affect climate and harm organisms, including humans

Air pollution can come from human-made chemicals and causes, but the majority is from natural sources.

Natural sources of air pollution

Figure 11.11

dust storms

fires

volcanoes

Artificial sources of air pollution

Human-caused air pollution includes:

Point sources = specific spots where large amounts of pollution are discharged(factory smokestacks)

Non-point sources = diffuse, often made up of many small sources(charcoal fires from thousands of homes)

Artificial sources of air pollution

Human-caused air pollution also include:Primary pollutants = emitted into troposphere in a directly harmful form

(soot, carbon monoxide)Secondary pollutants = produced via reaction of substances added to the atmosphere with chemicals already present in the atmosphere

(acid rain)

Acid precipitation

Acid rain, acid fog, acid snow

Reaction of pollutants like SO2 and NO with water, oxygen, and oxidants to form acids that fall to surface in precipitation:

◦sulfuric acid (H2SO4)◦nitric acid (HNO3)

Acid precipitation

Acid precipitation is created by reactions in the atmosphere, and can fall many miles from where pollution originated.

Figure 11.18

Acid precipitation

Acid precipitation has killed these conifer trees in the mountains of North Carolina.

From The Science behind the Stories

What can we do to help prevent human impacts on climate change?

Emissions reductions: Biking and walking

Reducing automobile usage would also lower emissions.

More and more people are choosing to live closer in and bike or walk to work.

If Americans used public transportation at the rate Europeans do, the U.S. would no longer need Saudi Arabian oil.

Figure 12.19

Exit Ticket-Did the information “stick?”

1. What are the causes of acid rain? Why is it harmful to areas outside of the pollutant source?

2. What is the difference between point and non-point source pollution? Primary and secondary?

3. Are you finished with your think-tac-toe assignment?

Bellringer: Day 14 Define the following:

Air mass

Front

Humidity

Relative humidity

Greenhouse effect

Global climate change

Vocabulary Bingo Atmosphere

Troposphere

Stratosphere

Mesosphere

Thermosphere

Ozone Layer

Nitrogen

Air Mass

Front

Warm Front

Cold Front

Occluded Front

Stationary Front

Low Pressure

High Pressure

Ice Cores

Greenhouse Effect

Global Warming

CFC’s

Acid Rain

Deforestation

Sea Level Rise

Ocean Acidification

Primary Pollutant

Secondary Pollutant