Transcript Weatherx

Weather
Unit 3 – 5th Grade Science
Setting Up Your Journal
 Title Page
 “Weather” should be written on the page and you should
include illustrations (make sure they are colored in)
Table of Contents and Essential Questions
 Table of Contents
 Page 3 – Essential Questions
 Pages 4-7 – Vocabulary
 Essential Questions
 How does weather change over time?
 How do global and local weather patterns interact?
 How are weather and climate interconnected?
 Why is the water cycle an important process for Earth and how
is the sun connected?
Vocabulary
 Weather – what is happening in the atmosphere at a
certain place and time
 Precipitation – rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the
ground
 Atmosphere – air that surrounds the Earth
 Troposphere – the lowest layer of the atmosphere
where most weather occurs
 Stratosphere – the layer of atmosphere above the
troposphere – airplanes fly in this layer to avoid weather
Vocabulary
 Meteorologist – a scientist who studies the atmosphere and
weather
 Forecast – a prediction of what the weather will be in the
future
 Air Mass – a body of air that has the same temperature and
humidity throughout
 Humidity – the amount of water vapor in the air
 Relative Humidity – compares the amount of water vapor in
the air with the greatest amount that could be in the air at
that temperature and pressure
Weather Tools
 The most common weather tools are:
 Thermometer
 Wind Vane
 Anemometer
 Barometer
 Rain Gauge
 Hygrometer
Thermometer
A thermometer is a
weather tool used to
measure temperature.
Wind Vane
By observing wind vanes, we
can know the direction of the
wind. Knowing the direction
of the wind is an important
part in predicting the
weather.
Anemometer
An anemometer is a
weather tool that
measures wind speed.
Barometer
Barometers measure
air pressure. Air
pressure can help you
predict good or bad
weather.
Rain Gauge
A rain gauge is a weather
tool used to collect rain.
Using measurements on
the side of the gauge, you
can see how many inches it
rained.
Hygrometer
A hygrometer measures
water vapor content of
the air or humidity.
Weather Videos and Vocabulary
 Brain Pop – Weather
 Weather Balloon – carries weather tools into the atmosphere to
measure conditions like temperature, humidity, and precipitation
 Beaufort Scale – a scale used to measure approximate wind speed
based on observations of surrounding conditions
 Satellites - measures atmospheric pressure conditions as it rotates
in space around the Earth
 Ocean Buoy – measures wind speed and direction, precipitation,
temperature, and wave size out in the ocean and then sends the
information to satellites and other weather stations
Beaufort Scale Activity
 You will need the following: a Beaufort Scale activity sheet, a
pencil, scissors, and a glue stick
 Read the introduction about the Beaufort Scale
 You will CAREFULLY cut out the number boxes in the first column
on the right hand side of the paper. They need to be cut out
individually.
 You will then CAREFULLY cut out the illustration boxes in the
second column on the right hand side of the paper. They need to be
cut out individually.
 Next you will lay them on the correct place on the chart on the left
hand side of the paper. DO NOT glue them down until they have
been checked.
Weather vs. Climate
 Weather describes the state of the atmosphere at any
particular time
 Weather can be described in terms of temperature,
precipitation, wind speed and direction, visibility, and cloud
amounts
 Climate describes the average weather of a particular part of
the world at different times of the year
 Study Jams - Weather and Climate
 Bill Nye - Water Cycle
Clouds
Clouds
 Cloud – a large collection of very thin droplets of water
or ice crystals. The droplets are so small and light, they
can float in the air.
 There are 4 types of clouds
 Cumulus – means “piled up”
 Cumulonimbus – produce thunderstorms
 Stratus – means “sheets” or “layers”
 Cirrus – means “feathery” or “tufted”
 The word alto- means “middle height”. So an altostratus
cloud is a layered cloud at middle height in the
atmosphere.
Cumulus
- Cumulus clouds are white and puffy
and look like pieces of floating
cotton.
- These clouds are often called “fair
weather clouds”.
- The base of each cloud is flat and
the top of each cloud has rounded
towers.
Cumulonimbus
- Cumulonimbus – a type of cumulus cloud.
- Nimbus is Latin for rain cloud.
- They are tall and bring thunderstorms and
sometimes hail.
- These clouds are also called thunderclouds
or thunderheads.
- They are associated with heavy rain, snow,
hail, lightening and sometimes even
tornadoes.
Stratus
- Stratus clouds are uniform, grayish
clouds that often cover the entire
sky. They resemble fog that doesn’t
reach the ground. Light mist or
drizzle sometimes falls out of the
clouds.
Cirrus
- Cirrus- means curls of air.
- They are made of tiny ice crystals.
- They are usually white and predict
fair to pleasant weather.
- When you see a cirrus cloud, it
usually means you will see a change
in weather in the next 24 hours.
Fog
-
Fog is a stratus cloud that forms
close to the ground.
-
Fog is made up of very small
water droplets.
Cloud Facts
 Why are clouds white?
 Clouds are white because they reflect the light of the sun. Light is
made up of colors of the rainbow and when you add them all
together you get white. The sun appears a yellow color because it
sends out more yellow light than any other color. Clouds reflect all
the colors the exact same amount so they look white.
 Why do clouds float?
 A cloud is made up of liquid water droplets. A cloud forms when air
is heated by the sun. As it rises, it slowly cools it reaches the
saturation point and water condenses, forming a cloud. As long as
the cloud and the air that its made of is warmer than the outside
air around it, it floats!
Vocabulary and Notes for the Quiz
 Air pressure – the weight of air pushing on everything
around it
 Fronts – large air masses that move around the planet,
causing changes in the weather
 You need to study the following:
 the Water Cycle, weather instruments, cloud types, and
vocabulary
Fronts
 Air Mass- A large body of air that has the same temperature
and moisture level throughout.
 There are 4 types of air masses in the U.S.
 When a warm air mass and a cold air mass meet a front is
formed.
 Study Jams - Air Masses and Fronts
 Weather Fronts
Fronts Continued
 Cold Front- happens when cold air mass pushes warm air up.
Cumulus clouds form. Heavy rain, thunderstorms, or snow
will form.
 Warm Front- happens when warm air mass stretches over
cold air mass. Stratus clouds form and slow steady snow or
rain form.
Air Pressure
 It is caused by the weight of all the air in the atmosphere pressing
down on Earth.
 It is also known as atmospheric pressure.
 Air pressure changes with the height and also when air warms up or
cools down.
 Changes in air pressure cause changes in the weather.
 A barometer measures air pressure.
 When the barometer rises, it predicts clear, cold, and fair weather.
 When the barometer falls, it predicts stormy and warm weather.
 There are 2 different kinds of air pressure: Low and High
Differences in Air Pressure
 When air rises, it leaves behind an area of lower pressure, because
the upward- moving air is not pressing down so hard on the surface.
 Areas of high pressure are formed where air is sinking back down,
and so pushing down harder.
 There are many areas of high and low pressure above the Earth’s
surface due to uneven surface heating.
 Air moves from high pressure areas to low pressure areas forming
winds.
 As a result, the greater the difference between the high pressure
and low pressure areas is, the higher the wind speed is.
Air Pressure Diagram
Highs and Lows
 Pressure is different all over
the world.
 Lows are areas of low
pressure with the lowest
pressure at the center.
 Lows usually bring wet,
cloudy weather.
 Highs are areas of high pressure with the highest pressure at the
center.
 Highs bring sunnier and drier weather.
 The way these move from day to day causes the changes in the
weather.
Measuring Air Pressure
 Air Pressure is measured in millibars (mb) on a barometer.
 The simplest kind of barometer is a mercury barometer and pressure is
measured in mm (in) of mercury.
 An aneriod barometer can measure move conveniently.
 A barograph is a special kind of barometer, which records continuous changes
in air pressure.
Videos!
 Study Jams - Air Pressure and Wind
 Brain Pop - Wind
Wind
 Wind – wind is air in motion.
 Wind is produced by the uneven heating of the earth’s
surface by the sun.
 Speed and direction specify wind.
 Warm air, which weighs less than cold air, rises. Cold air
moves in and replaces warm air. This movement of air is what
makes the wind blow.
 Weather moves west to east across the U.S
Wind Continued
 Local winds- blow over small areas, can change speed and direction
frequently. We feel local winds on the ground. They are influenced
by local conditions and local temperature variations.
 Windstorm- is a storm with high winds or gusts, but little or no rain.
 Gust Front – is the leading edge of cool air rushing down and out
from a thunderstorm.
 Downburst – is created by an area of significantly rain-cooled air,
that after hitting ground level, spreads out in all directions
producing strong winds.
Jet Stream
- The jet stream is an air current in the
upper atmosphere that flows from
west to east.
- Where a jet stream flows over North
America, it greatly affects the weather.
- Also known as “rivers of air”
- Because of the earth’s rotation, the
jet stream flows west to east.
Global Winds
 Blow across the entire world usually in belts in the upper
atmosphere.
 Examples : Westerlies, Easterlies, and Trade Winds
 Westerlies- prevailing winds begin in the west and move towards
the east. These are responsible for many weather movements
across the U.S.
 Polar Easterlies- cold prevailing winds begin in the east and move
towards the west.
 Trade Winds (Easterly Winds) – blow from east to west. Brings
hurricanes off the coast of Africa.
Gulf Stream
- Gulf stream- a warm ocean current in the
Atlantic Ocean.
- Flows Northeast along the eastern coast of
the U.S.
- Moves warm waters out across the Atlantic
Ocean toward the north.
- Gulf stream keeps weather along the
eastern coast mild by warming the air and
land there during the cooler months.
El Nino and La Nina
 A change in ocean temperatures can affect weather patterns for
long periods of time.
 El Nino- characterized by unusual warming of the surface water in
the eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator.
 La Nina- unusual cooling of the same water.
 These temperature changes in water temperature affect weather
patterns in North and South America for long periods of time.
 UNC-TV: El Nino
 Science Interactive: El Nino and La Nina
Vocabulary Quiz words
 You will need to know the following words:
 weather, stratus, rain gauge, atmosphere,
cumulus, barometer, air masses, forecast,
cirrus, stratosphere, anemometer,
hygrometer, troposphere, wind vane,
condensation, evaporation, precipitation,
meteorologist, and nimbus
 The quiz is on Monday, February 15th