Transcript ALABAMA COURSE OF STUDY SIXTH GRADE SCIENCE

ALABAMA COURSE OF STUDY
SIXTH GRADE SCIENCE
Earth and Space Science
An Overview of Objectives
Ashley Allen
Oneonta High School
Students Will…
Identify global patterns of atmospheric movement,
including El Niño, the Gulf Stream, the jet stream, the
Coriolis effect, and global winds that influence local
weather.
Predicting local weather and weather patterns
• Examples: cold and warm fronts, high and low pressure areas
Describing the function of instruments and technology used to
investigate Earth’s weather, including barometers, thermometers,
wind socks, weather vanes, satellites, radar, weather balloons, and
rain gauges
Using lines of latitude and longitude to locate areas of specific
weather events
Interpreting weather data through observations collected over time
• Example: calculating annual precipitation and average temperature
Global Patterns of Atmospheric
Movement
El Nino is a warm ocean current that
develops in the eastern Pacific and flows
north along the western coast of South
America.
El Nino can cause short-term weather changes
that are noticed globally
El Nino is part of the El Nino – Southern
Oscillation (ENSO) patterns of wind and water
currents and occurs every 3 to 10 years
El Nino
Global Patterns of Atmospheric
Movement
Gulf stream is part of a world-wide conveyor of
ocean current.
Warm water circulates through the Caribbean Sea and
the Gulf of Mexico and then Northeast along the coast
of North America
This current slows down in the North Atlantic and
becomes the North Atlantic current
These warm water currents have a moderating effect on
the climate of Ireland where palm trees may be found
growing in a surprisingly high latitude
Gulf Stream
Global Patterns of Atmospheric
Movement
Jet streams are narrow
bands of high speed
winds that blow in the
upper troposphere and
lower stratosphere.
Global Patterns of Atmospheric
Movement
Trade winds are
prevailing winds
that blow from
east to west from
30° latitude to the
equator in both
hemispheres.
Global Patterns of Atmospheric
Movement
Coriolis effect is the
curving of the path of
oceans and winds due
to the rotation of the
Earth.
Investigating Weather
Thermometer is an instrument used to measure
temperature – the average kinetic energy of a
substance.
Barometer is an instrument used to measure
atmospheric pressure.
Weather balloons can be released into the
atmosphere that carry a variety of instruments that
can take direct readings and transmit those to
stations on the ground.
A rain gauge is a simple device that measures the
amount of rainfall.
Investigating Weather
Wind socks are large, conical, open-ended tubes
that indicate wind direction and relative speed.
Weather vane (a.k.a. wind vane) is a device used
to indicate wind direction.
Satellites are now an integral part of monitoring
and predicting weather patterns.
Radar is a system that uses reflected radio waves
to determine the location and velocity of objects –
including large droplets of water in the
atmosphere.
Latitude and Longitude
Lines of latitude are parallel to one another and
run east and west.
The equator is 0° latitude; N and S note northern or
southern hemisphere
Lines of longitude run north and south and are not
parallel – they are closer at the poles.
The prime meridian is considered 0° longitude and the
international date line is 180° longitude
When traveling from the prime meridian, E and W note
eastern hemisphere and western hemisphere
Each degree is broken down into 60 minutes and
each minute is divided into 60 seconds.
Latitude and Longitude
Students Will…
Describe factors that cause changes to Earth’s surface over
time.
• Examples: earthquakes, volcanoes, weathering, erosion, glacial
erosion or scouring, deposition, water flow, tornadoes, hurricanes,
farming and conservation, mining and reclamation, deforestation and
reforestation, waste disposal, global climate changes, greenhouse
gases
Comparing constructive and destructive natural processes and their
effects on land formations
• Examples: constructive—volcanic and mountain-building processes;
destructive—erosion by wind, water, and ice
Distinguishing rock strata by geologic composition
• Examples: predicting relative age of strata by fossil depth, predicting
occurrence of natural events by rock composition in a particular strata
Dynamic Earth
The Earth’s surface is constantly changing through
time by the action of a number of agents.
Geological agents of change may be sudden such as an
earthquake or volcanic eruption or gradual such as the
erosion of mountain ranges and deposition of sediments
in large basins
Meteorological agents of change can involve large
areas of land affected by a changing climate or smaller
regions scarred by hurricane or tornadoes
Anthropogenic (man-made) agents of change such as
deforestation, agriculture, and mining are an
increasingly powerful force of change on Earth
Evidence of a Dynamic Earth in
Alabama
The fossil record shows a variety of environments in
Alabama such as coral reefs in Colbert County, barrier
islands with channels in Montgomery County, and
tropical forests of Walker County.
Pollen samples taken from core samples in bogs show
change over the past few thousand years even in the
vegetation of Alabama.
Drill cores taken show evidence of an arid, hot
Alabama in which evaporites were forming.
Atmospheric studies show increases in CO2 and ozone
depletion over time.
Constructive and Destructive
Natural Processes
Constructive forces of nature are best illustrated in
the convergent plate boundaries where orogenies
(mountain building episodes) take place and in hot
spots where volcanic activity produces new land
mass.
Examples.
Continent-continent collision – Himalayas
Continent-ocean collision – Andes
Ocean-ocean collision – Aleutians
Hot spots – Hawaii and Surtsey
Constructive and Destructive
Natural Processes
Destructive forces of
nature can be
illustrated best by the
power of weathering
and erosion.
Both physical and
chemical weathering
of surface materials
takes place at variable
rates.
Rock Strata
The law of original horizontality states that
sedimentary rock strata were initially formed in
horizontal layers as sedimentation occurred.
The law of superposition states that the deeper one
goes in a sequence of sedimentary strata, the older
the rocks.
The law of faunal succession states that the
younger the fossil assemblage, the more similar
the forms will be to modern forms in a similar
environment.
Students Will…
Describe water and carbon biogeochemical
cycles and their effects on Earth.
The Carbon Cycle
Students Will…
Explain the plate tectonic theory.
• Example: using terminology such as continental
drift, seafloor spreading, lava, magma, eruption,
epicenter, focus, seismic wave, and subduction zone
Describing types of volcanoes and faults
Determining energy release through
seismographic data
• Example: using data from the Mercalli scale and the
Richter scale
Tectonic Theory
Alfred Wegener proposed continental drift, but
could not explain how continents moved over
time.
Harry Hess used sonar and satellite data to
investigate seafloor spreading and was then able to
synthesize modern tectonic theory from Wegener’s
continental drift and the new data for seafloor
spreading.
The Earth’s crust is made of many rigid plates
resting somewhat buoyantly on the molten layers
of magma within the Earth.
Tectonic Plates of the Earth
Types of Volcanoes and Faults
Volcanoes
Shield Volcanoes are large
at the base with gently
sloping sides and eruptions
are generally smooth lava
flows
Cinder Cones much smaller
with very steep sides and
violent eruptions
Composite Volcanoes are
made of alternating layers
of hardened lava flows and
pyroclastic material and can
explode violently
Faults
Normal fault occurs when
the hanging wall slips down
relative to the foot wall due
to tension
Reverse fault occurs when
the hanging wall is forced
up above the footwall due
to compression
Strike-slip fault occurs
when there is lateral
movement
Alfred Wegener (above) and
Harry Hess (below)
The Mercalli scale goes
from I to XII and measures
the destruction caused by
the earthquake.
The Richter scale goes
from 1 to 10 and measures
the energy released at the
focus. An earthquake of 6
releases 10 time the
energy of an earthquake
of 5; an earthquake of 7
would release 100 times
the energy of the
earthquake of 5.
Students Will…
Describe layers of the oceanic hydrosphere,
including the pelagic zone, benthic zone,
abyssal zone, and intertidal zone.
The Hydrosphere
The distribution of marine life within the zones of the
ocean is determined by amount of sunlight, water
temperature, and pressure.
Benthic zone is the bottom region of a body of water.
Pelagic zone is the region of an ocean (or freshwater) that
is above the benthic zone and may be divided into different
categories according to depth.
Intertidal zone is the area between the highest high-tide
and the lowest low-tide.
The Hydrosphere
The sublitoral zone is the continuously submerged zone
located on the continental shelves and is heavily populated
with marine life.
The bathyal zone begins at the continental slope and
extends to a depth of about 4,000 m.
Abyssal zone occurs at a depth of 4,000 to 6,000 meters
and no sunlight penetrates.
Hadal zone is composed of areas deeper than 6,000 m in
depth and usually confined to ocean trenches.
Students Will…
Describe regions of the oceanic lithosphere,
including the continental shelf, continental
slope, and abyssal plain.
Oceanic Lithosphere
Oceanic lithosphere (mostly basalt) is denser and thinner
than continental crust (mostly granite).
The continental shelf is the part of the continent that is
covered by ocean and usually slopes gently (about 0.12 m
every 100 m).
The continental slope is the steep slope on the seaward
edge of a continental shelf.
The boundary between the continental crust and the oceanic crust
is found at the base of the continental slope
The abyssal planes are large, flat areas (<3m change over
1300 km) where the ocean is more than 4 km deep.
Students Will…
Describe Earth’s biomes.
• Examples: aquatic biomes, grasslands, deserts,
chaparrals, taigas, tundras
Identifying geographic factors that cause
diversity in flora and fauna, including
elevation, location, and climate
Students Will…
Describe how Earth’s rotation, Earth’s axial
tilt, and distance from the equator cause
variations in the heating and cooling of
various locations on Earth.
Seasons
Students Will…
Identify the moon’s phases.
Describing lunar and solar eclipses
Relating effects of the moon’s positions on
oceanic tides
Students Will…
Describe components of the universe and their
relationships to each other, including stars, planets
and their moons, solar systems, and galaxies.
Identifying the impact of space exploration on
innovations in technology
• Examples:
MRI, microwave, satellite imagery, GPS
Mapping seasonal changes in locations of constellations
in the night sky
Describing the life cycle of a star
• Example:
H-R diagram
Students Will…
Describe units used to measure distance in
space, including astronomical units and
light years.
Astronomical Measurements
An astronomical unit (AU) is the average distance
between the Earth and the Sun.
An astronomical unit is 149,597,870.66 km or
about 1.5 x 108 km.
The speed of light is also used to express distance
in astronomy.
A light-year is the distance traveled by light (in a
vacuum) during one year, which is about
300,000,000 m/s or 9.4607 x 1012 km in a year.
The closest star (other than the Sun) to the Earth is
4.2 light years away.
References
El Nino - http://www.meteo.physik.unimuenchen.de/~crewell/vorles/FE_vorles/fe_ozean_Dateien
?D=A
El Nino Ocean Thermograph http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/digest/issue20
Gulf Stream http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/03titanic/rusticl
es/rusticles.htmlhttp://oceanex/explorations/03bump/backg
round/geology/media/charlestongyre_600.jpg
Ocean Conveyor http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/Magazine/mj04/alacart
e.asp?from=maps
References
Jet Stream Cross Section http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/global/jet.htm
Jet Stream Global View http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Sect14/Sect14_1c.html
Trade Winds - http://www.satellites.co.uk/phpbin/forum/showthread.php?t=43519
Coriolis Effect http://uregina.ca/~sauchyn/geog221/atmos.html
References
Mobile Bay http://www.worldhistory.com/wiki/M/Mobile-Bay.htm
Latitude and Longitude http://www.lakelandsd.com/tutorial/instructions.ht
ml
Island Arc Illustration http://www.geol.ucsb.edu/faculty/hacker/geo102C/lectu
res/part13.html
Surtsey http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImage
s/images.php3?img_id=16551
References
Mt. Everest http://www.kirdkao.org/education/resource?C=M&O=
D
Soil Erosion http://coweeta.ecology.uga.edu/coweeta_photographs/er
osion.htm
Law of Superposition http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/acolvil/geo_time.html
Law of Faunal Succession http://imnh.isu.edu/geo_time/geo_principles.htm
References
Hydrologic Cycle http://www.ncar.ucar.edu/eo/basics/wx_1_c.html
Carbon Cycle http://prome.snu.ac.kr/~ohrora/gis/rs/Sect16/nicktutor_
16-4.html
Pelagic Zones http://web2k.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/jeffms/schnably/3/2/ocean
_habitat.htm
Ocean Zonation http://www.aquatic.uoguelph.ca/oceans/introduction/zo
nation/zonation.htm
References
Mantle Convection http://www.gly.fsu.edu/~salters/GLY1000/Chapter3
/Chapter3_index.html
Tectonic Plates –
http://www2.nature.nps.gov/geology/usgsnps/plte
c/pltec2.html
Convergent Boundaries http://earth.geol.ksu.edu/sgao/g100/plots
Divergent Boundaries http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/hherms/herms/G
EOLOGY/boundaries/divergent_boundary.htm
References
Continental Slope http://www.harcourtschool.com/scienceglossary/define/
gr6/cont_slope6c.html
Transform Boundary http://www.gly.fsu.edu/~salters/GLY1000/Chapter5
/5Plate_Tectonics_index.html
Types of Volcanoes http://www.geo.umn.edu/courses/3003/syllabus.ht
m
Types of Faults http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/nyc/highlands/highlan
ds.html
References
Alfred Wegener http://www.stchas.edu/faculty/ewilson/Photos/Pla
tes
Harry Hess http://www.websamba.com/biogeo1/tecto2.html
Mercalli and Richter Scale Comparison http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/teach/chart.htm
Seismic Waves http://www.vims.edu/physical/ms330/class330.ht
m
References
Ocean Floor - http://140.112.68.243/chap2/chap2.htm
Earth’s Biomes http://www.biologycorner.com/bio4/notes/biomes.
php
Earth’s Seasons http://oz.plymouth.edu/~sci_ed/Turski/Courses/As
tronomy/Notes/Chap.1.NightSky.html
Moon Phases http://oz.plymouth.edu/~sci_ed/Turski/Courses/As
tronomy/Notes/Chap.1.NightSky.html
References
Moon and Tides http://www.thehopewellrocks.ca/english/fundytide
s2.h
Lunar Eclipse http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/time?C=M
%3BO=A
Solar Eclipse http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/time?C=M
%3BO=A
Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~mnc3z/astro124.html
References
Galaxies http://www.naasbeginners.freeuk.com/
AbsoluteBeginners/Clusters_and_Gala
xies.htm
Moon Phases http://oz.plymouth.edu/~sci_ed/Turski/C
ourses/Astronomy/Notes/Chap.1.NightS
ky.html