from The Mini Page © 2011 Universal Uclick It’s Time to ... · from The Mini Page © 2011 Universal Uclick ... doesn’t fall evenly across the Earth. ... temperature could rise

© 2011 Universal Uclick

release dates: April 16-22 16-1 (11)

from The Mini Page © 2011 Universal Uclick

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Book of StatesNEW!

It’s Time to Act

Our Changing Climate Have you studied climate change in school? Most of the world’s scientists agree that our planet is warming. We are already seeing changes to our climate. Scientists expect we will notice these changes much more in the coming years. The Mini Page talked with a scientist at NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to find out more about what is going on with our climate.What is climate change? Climate is the average of an area’s weather over a long period of time. For example, in Alaska, the climate is much colder than in Florida. Experts usually say there is climate change if there are changes lasting for at least 30 years. We are seeing that throughout the world.

Warming and other changes Many scientists are now using the term “climate change” instead of “global warming.” The temperature of the air above the Earth is rising. But that is just one of several changes in the world’s climate. Some of the changes include: • The 1980s broke all records for heat across the planet. Then the 1990s broke the 1980s record. The 2000s broke the 1990s record. In the past 30 years, each decade, or 10-year period, has broken the previous heat records. • The Arctic ice has been getting smaller and thinner each summer since 1979. The area of summer Arctic ice has decreased by about 300,000 square miles. This is enough to cover both Texas and Kentucky.

• Sea level has risen 6 to 8 inches over the planet in the past 100 years. • Precipitation (pree-sip-i-TAY-shun), or moisture falling to Earth, has increased over much of the world in the last 100 years. This has brought flooding to areas such as Australia. • Drought (drowt), or a long time with dry weather, has increased in some spots, including much of Africa.

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The year 2010 tied with 2005 as the hottest year ever recorded for our planet. (Temperatures were first officially recorded in 1880.) The average global temperature was more than 1 degree Fahrenheit hotter than the average of the previous 30 years. The average is a mix of temperatures over the whole planet.

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In 2009, the Red River in North Dakota flooded, reaching 40.8 feet, a record high. Climate change will likely bring more rain and snow and more flooding. photo by Kathy Crane, courtesy NOAA Arctic Research Program

As Arctic ice shrinks, polar bears have trouble getting food. They hunt on ice floes.

Words that remind us of climate change are hidden in the block below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally. See if you can find: AIR, COLD, CROPS, DROUGHT, DRY, EARTH, FLOODS, FOSSIL, FUELS, GLOBAL, HOT, ICE, LEVEL, MOISTURE, PRECIPITATION, RAIN, SEA, SNOW, STORMS, TEMPERATURE, WARMING, WET, WILDFIRES.

Climate try ’nfind

April showers bring mAy flowers!

F F E S S E R I F D L I W G M S L U A E W Y R D D L O C L O T C O E R A E E C I T O H O I O R R O L T L T L E V E L B S R A A O D S H L I S S O F A T M S I I P S G N I M R A W L U S N L R N S Y T H G U O R D R K O L E R U T A R E P M E T E N W N O I T A T I P I C E R P


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ready resourcesfrom The Mini Page © 2011 Universal Uclick

The Mini Page provides ideas for websites, books or other resources that will help you learn more about this week’s topics.

On the Web:• http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html• http://climate.nasa.gov/kids/• http://www.youtube.com/NOAAVisualizations• http://globalchange.gov/resources/educators/toolkit/video• http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/degree/how_do_we_

know.jsp

At the library:• “Climate Change” by DK Publishing and John Woodward


Too Dry or Too WetMany different changes Climate change does not affect every place the same way. Most places will see more moisture. But some places will be drier. A warmer climate means more water will evaporate (ee-VAP-uh-rate), or change from liquid to a gas. The liquid water is in our oceans and other bodies of water. Water gas, or vapor, goes into the air.

Extreme weather As the climate changes, extreme weather increases. For example: • New York City had record-breaking snowfalls in January. • Last spring, heavy rains caused massive flooding in Tennessee and

Arkansas. • Record heat waves spread across Europe and Asia last summer.

Falling water The added water vapor in the air means that there will be more precipitation. But this moisture doesn’t fall evenly across the Earth. Some places get too much, some get too little, and some get just enough. If the air above the Earth is warm, it can hold more water. So more rain or snow may fall at once, causing stronger, more destructive storms. But more time may pass between storms.

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Long periods of drought dry out trees and other plants. This can lead to more wildfires. In the last 25 years, there have been about four times as many large wildfires in the American West as in previous years. These fires have also lasted weeks longer than wildfires used to last. This is mostly due to drought, but longer, hotter summers and more development in forest areas add to the danger.

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From Feb. 1-3, 2011, a giant winter storm spread over 2,000 miles of America, from New Mexico to the East Coast.


Pat: What is a tornado’s favorite game show? Heidi: “Wind, Lose or Draw”!

Jack: What did the Munchkins call the heavy snowstorm that hit the Emerald City?

Tommy: The Blizzard of Oz!

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All the following jokes have something in common. Can you guess the common theme or category?

Erin: What do hurricanes fight in?James: Whirl wars!

Mini Spy . . .Mini Spy is the weather announcer on The Mini Page TV News. See if you can find: • toothbrush • boomerang• peanut • pencil • safety pin • sailboat• leaf • number 3 • letter A • kite• word MINI • umbrella • basket • dolphin• ladder • ruler • flower • letter E• olive • snake • number 7 • muffin


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Rookie Cookie’s RecipeKiwi Fruit Salad

You’ll need:• 3 ripe kiwi fruits• 1 medium banana• 1 (8-ounce) can pineapple chunks,

drained (reserve juice)What to do:1. Peel and cut kiwis into bite-size chunks. Place in bowl.2. Peel and slice banana. Add to bowl.3. Add pineapple chunks to bowl, reserving juice.4. Pour reserved pineapple juice into small saucepan. Add juice of one

lime and brown sugar.5. Heat juice mixture to boiling, then lower heat and simmer for 5

minutes. Add vanilla after 5 minutes.6. Pour sauce mixture over fruit. Stir gently to coat fruit with sauce.

Serve warm or cold.You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.


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• 1 lime• 2 tablespoons brown sugar• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Meet Jennette McCurdy Jennette McCurdy stars as Chris in the Nickelodeon TV movie “Best Player.” She is a country music singer and songwriter. She is best known for her role as Sam on the Nickelodeon TV series “iCarly.” She has acted on several other TV shows. Jennette, 18, grew up in Garden Grove, Calif. When she was younger, her grandparents lived with her family, and her grandmother used to sing songs from country music star Patsy Cline. When Jennette was 7, she performed in a music

video with singer Faith Hill. She began writing songs when she was 8. She now also writes poetry and screenplays. She publishes a magazine for young girls and supports several charities for children, including St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. She enjoys several sports, such as figure skating.

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Climate Change Forecasts

The Mini Page StaffBetty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist

Storm superpowers Scientists do not have enough information to predict how climate change will affect hurricanes and tornadoes. We have seen an increase in hurricane strength in recent years. However, many hurricanes occur over the ocean. Until recently, no one has been able to measure how much power these hurricanes had. Since the 1960s, we have been able to gather hurricane data from satellites. But there is no historical record to compare what we are seeing now with earlier patterns. We have a similar problem with tornadoes. Although we have recorded more tornadoes in the last decade, we have only been able to accurately count the number of tornadoes since the 1990s, when Doppler radar was used throughout the country. We don’t know if these storms are really fiercer and more frequent, or if we just have better recording equipment, or both.

Taking action Most experts believe human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels like oil and gas, are a major cause of climate change. Computer models show that the planet will continue to warm even if we stop using fossil fuels completely right away. The Earth and oceans will take years to lose the extra heat. Depending on how much we lower our use of fossil fuels and how well our planet can adjust, the world’s temperature could rise by 2 to 6 degrees by 2100. This doesn’t sound like a lot, but even small temperature changes can cause big differences. For example, in the worst part of the last ice age, most of North America was covered by glaciers. But the planet was only 7 degrees colder than today. Many of our bridges and buildings were designed for a different climate.

People may need to grow different crops. We will work it out, but we need to plan and change our habits.

The effects of climate change As the climate changes, people and wildlife will need to adjust. Animals may migrate farther north to avoid the heat. We can’t tell exactly how much climate change has been caused by humans, but we know it’s significant. For example, in 2003, there were record heat waves across Europe. Experts say human activities have made the risk of similar heat waves about four times greater than with nature alone. Rising sea levels will make storms more destructive as tides rise. Coastal flooding may increase. Some bridges and buildings may not last.

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Changing temperatures and precipitation patterns will affect crops throughout the world. Some places will get more rainfall and will be able to grow more crops. Others will face drought and poor crops.

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Better equipment and more storm spotters have recorded more tornadoes in the last 30 years.

The Mini Page thanks Jake Crouch, NOAA Climate Monitoring Branch, for help with this issue.

Next week, The Mini Page looks at pioneers of flight.

Look for stories on weather events around the world.


Supersport: Ben HansbroughHeight: 6-3 Weight: 203 Hometown: Poplar Bluff, Mo. Ben Hansbrough had been in college basketball’s background — until this year. Now the Notre Dame senior is one of the brightest stars in the powerful Big East Conference and one of the elite guards in the nation. From the “Show Me” state of Missouri, he has shown talent,

toughness and a deadly shooting touch. In helping the Fighting Irish to a 25-5 regular-season record, he ranked third in the Big East in scoring, fourth in three-point shooting and tied for sixth in free-throw accuracy. Hansbrough, who transferred to Notre Dame from Mississippi State in 2008, has a familiar name in athletics. Brother Tyler won National Player of the Year honors at North Carolina and now plays in the NBA. Dad Gene high-jumped at Missouri. Mother Tami is a former Miss Missouri. Now Ben’s adding to the family legacy while making Irish eyes smile at Notre Dame.

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from The Mini Page © 2011 Universal Uclick It’s Time to ... · from The Mini Page © 2011 Universal Uclick ... doesn’t fall evenly across the Earth. ... temperature could rise