One Minute on Weather - Environment and Climate Change … · TABLE OF ONTENTS i One Minute on...

One Minute on WeatherShort Readings to Pique Interest in Weather and Weather-Related Issues

AcknowledgementsProject Management: Victoria Hudec (Outreach Officer: Ontario; Sky Watchers National Coordinator)Author and Publication Design: Nicole Lantz (Sprout Educational Consulting)Photography: George Lantz (Vision Photography) and iStock

DISCLAIMERHer Majesty is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in the reproduced material. Her Majesty shall at all times be indemnified and held harmless against any and all claims whatsoever arising out of negli-gence or other fault in the use of the information contained in this publication or product.

THIRD-PARTY MATERIALSSome of the information contained in this publication or product may be subject to copyrights held by other individuals or organizations. To obtain information concerning copyright ownership and restrictions, please contact:

Environment and Climate Change CanadaPublic Inquiries Centre7th Floor, Fontaine Building200 Sacré-Coeur BoulevardGatineau QC K1A 0H3Telephone: 819-997-2800Toll Free: 1-800-668-6767 (in Canada only)Email: [email protected]

ISBN: En56-256/2015E-PDFCat. No.: 978-0-660-02000-6One Minute on Weather - Short Readings to Pique Interest in Weather and Weather-Related Issues

Unless otherwise specified, you may not reproduce materials in this publication, in whole or in part, for the purposes of commercial redistribution without prior written permission from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s copyright administrator. To obtain permission to reproduce Government of Canada materials for commercial purposes, apply for Crown Copyright Clearance by contacting:

Environment and Climate Change CanadaPublic Inquiries Centre7th Floor, Fontaine Building200 Sacré-Coeur BoulevardGatineau QC K1A 0H3Telephone: 819-997-2800Toll Free: 1-800-668-6767 (in Canada only)Email: [email protected]

Photos: © iStock

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 2016

Aussi disponible en français

T A B L E O F C O n T E n T s

iOne Minute on Weather: Short Readings to Pique Interest in Weather and Weather-Related Issues i

Graphic Organizers ..................................................................................1One Minute on… ............................................................................................................ 1

Readings ...................................................................................................3One Minute on UV and Tanning .................................................................................... 3One Minute on Weather and School Cancellations ..................................................... 4One Minute on Weather and Business ......................................................................... 5One Minute on Storm Hype ........................................................................................... 6One Minute on Cold-Weather Fashion ........................................................................ 7One Minute on the Air Quality Health Index ................................................................ 8

Science Curriculum Links ........................................................................9Alberta ............................................................................................................................. 9British Columbia ............................................................................................................ 9Manitoba .......................................................................................................................... 9New Brunswick (Anglophone) ..................................................................................... 10New Brunswick (Francophone) ................................................................................... 10Newfoundland and Labrador ....................................................................................... 10Northwest Territories ....................................................................................................11Nova Scotia ....................................................................................................................11Nunavut ..........................................................................................................................11Ontario ........................................................................................................................... 12Prince Edward Island ................................................................................................... 12Quebec .......................................................................................................................... 12Saskatchewan ............................................................................................................... 13Yukon ............................................................................................................................. 13

One fact:

1. Before you read:

2. As you read:

3. After you read:

One Minute on…

First three words that come to mind:

One question:

Who is most affected by this issue?

Pros: Cons:

Graphic OrganizersGraphic Organizers

One Minute on Weather: Short Readings to Pique Interest in Weather and Weather-Related Issues 1

Write a news headline that summarizes what youjust read:

People you would email to take action:☐ local government☐ news☐ Environment and Climate Change Canada☐ school principal

☐ local businesses☐ local industries☐ community members☐ other: ______________________________

Tweet or text your recommendation on the issue (140 characters or less):

A picture of the ideal solution:

Graphic Organizers

2 One Minute on Weather: Short Readings to Pique Interest in Weather and Weather-Related Issues

Readings

3One Minute on Weather: Short Readings to Pique Interest in Weather and Weather-Related Issues 3

One Minute on UV and TanningTans and sunburns are damaged skin. Some people say that sun bathing gives them a “healthy glow”. This idea of tanning as a fashion trend took place in the late 1920s1, long before people were aware that ultraviolet radiation (UV) causes early aging and skin cancer. Before that, “parasols and large hats were considered essential summer accessories” for women2. Could we use the fashion industry to bring sun savvy styles back? How would you convince people to be comfortable in the skin they’re in? UV can burn, even on cloudy days, so it is important to be informed. Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) UV index can be any number from 0 to 11+. The higher the UV Index number, the stronger the sun’s rays, and the greater the need to take sun safety precautions. Should the UV Index be posted at beaches in summer and ski hills in winter? In New Zealand they post signs showing the exact time of day when sun protection is needed3. Should Canadians try this too? How will you plan for UV in your day?There is no safe way to get a tan,4. UV damage builds up in your skin, even after a tan is gone, regardless of whether it is from tanning outdoors or indoors. The younger you start, the worse it

is. UV damage may not be as obvious when you look in the mirror, but some people have decided to put on sunscreen after seeing what they look like on an ultraviolet video camera5. The video, “How

the sun sees you” by Thomas Leveritt, shows how UV damage accumulates: www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9BqrSAHbTc.

If you could change the way people at your school think about UV exposure, how would you do it? Are there sun safety campaigns or slogans that would make the most difference?

1 Martin, Jo M., Jessica M.Ghaferi, Deborah L. Cummins, Adam J Mamelak,, Chrys D. Schmults, Mona Parikh, Lark-Aeryn Speyer, Alica Chuang, Hazel V. Richardson, David Stein, and Nanette Liégeois, “Changes in Skin Tanning Attitudes Fashion Articles and Advertisements in the Early 20th Century” American Journal of Public Health. 99.12 (December 2009): 2140–2146. Web.2 Am J Public Health. 2009 December; 99(12): 2140–2146. 3 Rajiv, Bhama and Rebecca Gray. “Sun Protection Alert – a simple tool for a complex issue.” NIWA UV Workshop. April 15-17, 2014, Auckland.. PDF file.4 Indoor tanning. Canadian Cancer Society, n.d. Web. 21 Nov 2013.5 Leveritt, Thomas. “How the sun sees you.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 12 Aug 2014. Web. 21 Jan. 2015.

Should the UV Index be posted at beaches

in summer and ski hills in winter?

Readings

Readings Readings


One Minute on Weather and School CancellationsTechnology is improving weather forecasts. The five-day forecast today is as accurate as a one-day forecast from 40 years ago6! How often do you think forecasts are wrong? Would you cancel schools based on a forecast?

Did you ever notice that schools might be cancelled in one school board, but not in another, even when it isn’t that far away? Is weather that different from one community to the next? Where is the weather usually better in your region? Does it usually snow in one place but rain in another? Are hills, valleys, or coastlines involved?

What list of things would you consider if you were in charge of cancelling schools for weather? Is a severe weather warning enough to decide? Which one? What would be your cut-off for wind chill? Snowfall? Freezing rain? Humidex?

The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is a scale designed to help you understand what the quality of air around you means to your health. It communicates the health risk posed by air pollution.

It also suggests how you might adjust your activity levels depending on your individual health risk from air pollution.

Would you cancel school if the AQHI was high? What about cancelling sporting events? What about for high humidex or high UV? What should you do if a coach disagrees with another about weather conditions?

Should the team forfeit the game?

6 Envirozine. Environment Canada. Web. 22 Jan 2013.

Would you cancel schools based on a forecast?

Readings


One Minute on Weather and BusinessYou can always tell on a hot, humid day that you’ll have to wait in line for ice cream. But, beyond the lemonade stand, how can businesses all over Canada make the best of weather or climate?

Many Canadian inventions solve a problem that weather creates, like the snowmobile, snow blower, or foghorn. People buy these inventions for the Canadian climate, and a business is born. Climate, long-term patterns in weather, gives us an idea about what to expect. What other inventions or technologies solve problems that weather or climate creates?

Some businesses actually use weather or climate to solve a problem.7 For example, Canada’s climate helps cool data centres, places where there are lots of big computers, called servers, in one building. The servers use a lot of electrical energy, most of which comes off as heat—enough to heat a home or possibly an apartment building.8 Canadian data facilities solve the heat problem. They improve computer cooling systems using fresh air from outdoors for more than half of the year9. What other technologies use weather or climate to solve a problem?

If you ran a business, how would you make the best of the climate or weather? Would your restaurant change the menu to soup on an especially cold day? Would your grocery store do a barbeque display based on a forecast for a nice weekend? Would you charge more for umbrellas on a rainy day?

7 Stoller, Jonathan. Why cold Canada is becoming a hot spot for data centres. The Globe and Mail, 8 Jan 2013. Web. 21 Nov 2013. 8 Liu, Jie, Michel Goraczko, Sean James, Christian Belady, Jiakang Lu, Kamin Whitehouse. The Data Furnace: Heating Up with Cloud Computing. Microsoft Research and University of Virginia, n.d. Web. 21 Nov 2013. 9 Beal, Vangie. “Why Putting Your Data Center in Canada Makes Sense”. CIO. CXO Media, 8 Oct 2012. Web. 21 Nov 2013.

If you ran a business, how

would you make the best of the climate

or weather?

Readings Readings


One Minute on Storm HypeSnowmageddon. Frankenstorm.10 Monster storm. Superstorm. These are all names that news stations have used to call attention to forecasted weather.

Ever heard of a perfect storm? Nowadays it means the worst-case scenario about anything, but it comes from the idea of a “recipe” for an extremely powerful storm.

Is it right to hype a storm to get people prepared? What if the storm isn’t really that bad in the end? Is it like The Boy Who Cried Wolf? Will people ignore you the next time?

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issues public alert bulletins through the media, including special weather statements, weather watches, and weather warnings. These alerts are primarily based on a scientific checklist—when winds are a certain speed, or when precipitation is expected to reach a certain amount.

Cleverly, ECCC even adjusts the warnings based on the climate where you live. They understand that weather doesn’t need a warning if it is usual for that place and time of year. And big storms already have a system to describe their strength, such as categories for hurricanes or the Enhanced Fujita scale for tornadoes.

What kind of warnings are the best? When does awareness become hype? How can media help people prepare without making them too skeptical the next time? What kinds of warnings do people understand? How prepared should you be?

10 ‘Frankenstorm’ and the risk of hyping dangerous weather. CBC News Canada. CBC, 26 Oct 2012. Web. 21 Nov 2013.

How can media help people prepare

without making them too skeptical

the next time?


Readings

One Minute on Cold-Weather Fashion Do you want to look cool while staying warm?

You can usually layer to stay warm. Can’t you layer stylish clothing over stylish clothing? If you start with a good base layer, you can make almost anything cozy. Finish it off with a scarf, hat, and mitts that do more than decorate.

Read labels and remember that every fabric has its pros and cons. Look for a sweater made from wool or synthetics rather than cotton because they provide better insulation. Consider a down-filled coat for dry, very cold winters. Remember that darker colors absorb more energy from the sun.

How do you make decisions about winter clothing? Do you have a favourite winter fabric? What do you do for winter sports?

Sometimes clothing looks warm, but disappoints once you get out in true Canadian weather. Should there be some kind of cold rating, so you know what you are buying? Who would create it or check it? On what level of activity would it be based?

If fashion is impractical, think twice. In the end, isn’t it true that you look much worse if you appear to have no judgement?

Cool is confidence. If there is one thing the fashion industry always tries to convey, it’s confidence. Make a decision about how to dress based on the forecast and conditions. Then, add your own flair. Own the decision. Be confident and the rest will take care of itself.

Should there be some kind of cold

rating, so you know what you

are buying?


Readings

One Minute on the Air Quality Health IndexThe Air Quality Health Index (AQHI)11 came out of work that Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) did with Health Canada. What other indexes do you know that combine environment with health?

The AQHI focuses on air pollution that affects the heart and lungs. Everyone is affected by this air pollution, but some are more sensitive than others. For example, seniors and children are more vulnerable. What would you do to protect seniors and children? Should there be changes at seniors homes, daycare facilities or schools? How much should daycares or schools worry about the AQHI when taking children outside?

The AQHI is a scale from 1 to 10+ to indicate the level of health risk associated with air quality. The higher the number, the greater the health risk. It is a tool that helps you make decisions about outdoor activities. When the AQHI is high, it might be smart to reduce or reschedule outdoor activities.

People are trying to get children to choose outdoor activities rather than sitting to watch television—is air pollution getting in the way?

One of the worst things is that communities can suffer from poor air quality, even if they don’t make the pollution themselves. Sometimes they don’t even

know it is there. It blows in on global winds. With all the technologies available, could we track the sources of pollution? Could we mark it on a weather map? Would

people pollute so much if it were always visible? How would you get people thinking about air quality?

For more information visit www.airhealth.ca.

11 Air Quality Health Index. Environment Canada, 16 Jul 2013. Web. 21 Nov 2013.

How much should daycares or schools

worry about AQHI when taking

children outside?


Science Curriculum Links

Science Curriculum LinksAlbertaCorrelation of “One Minute on Weather” to the Alberta Science Curriculum—Grade 5 Topic D: Weather Watch Specific Curriculum Outcomes• Appreciate how important it is to be able to forecast weather and to have suitable clothing or

shelter to endure various types of weather.• Test fabrics and clothing designs to choose those with characteristics that most effectively

meet the challenges of particular weather conditions;e.g., water resistance, wind resistance, protection from cold.

• 5-9 Investigate relationships between weather phenomena and human activity.(General Learner Expectation, GLE)

British Columbia Correlation of “One Minute on Weather” to the British Columbia Science Curriculum—Grade 4 Earth and Space Science Prescribed Learning Outcomes• Analyse impacts of weather on living and non-living things• Weather conditions affect living things (e.g., growth, behaviour, food, shelter)• Weather conditions (e.g., erosion) affect non-living things• Temperature, wind speed, wind direction, water cycle, cloud, evaporation, condensation,

precipitation, erosion, barometer, anemometer, thermometer, rain gauge, weather vane

ManitobaCorrelation of “One Minute on Weather” to the Manitoba Science Curriculum—Grade 5 Weather (Cluster 4)Specific Learning Outcomes

• 5-4-12 Describe examples of technological advances that have enabled humans to deepentheir scientific understanding of weather and improve the accuracy of weather predictions.Examples: satellites collect data that scientists analyze to increase understanding of globalweather patterns; computerized models predict weatherGLO: A2,A5,B1,D5



• 5-4-02 Describe how weather conditions may affect the activities of humans and otheranimals.Examples: heavy rainfall may cause roads to wash out; stormy conditions may prevent a spaceshuttle launching; in excessive heat, cattle may produce less milkGLO: D5

New Brunswick (Anglophone)Correlation of “One Minute on Weather” to Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, and New Brunswick Science Curriculum—Grade 5 Earth and Space Science: WeatherSpecific Learning Outcomes

• Identify weather-related technological innovations and products that have been developed byvarious cultures in response to weather conditions (107-14)

• Identify positive and negative effects of technologies that affect weather and the environment(108-1)

• Provide examples of ways that weather forecasts are used by various people in theircommunity (107-5)

New Brunswick (Francophone)Correlation of “One Minute on Weather” to New Brunswick Science Curriculum—Grades 3 to 5Specific Learning Outcomes

• N/A

Newfoundland and LabradorCorrelation of “One Minute on Weather” to Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and New Brunswick Science Curriculum—Grade 5 Earth and Space Science: WeatherSpecific Learning Outcomes






Northwest TerritoriesCorrelation of “One Minute on Weather” to the Northwest Territories Science and Technology Curriculum—Grade 5 Earth and Space SystemsSpecific Learning Outcomes

• Explain how advances in technology and science enable humans to make predictions aboutweather (e.g., satellite images of the Earth allow us to track weather patterns on a larger scale;computer modelling and automated weather stations);

• Understand and explain the importance of weather forecasting for people in certainoccupations (e.g., fishers, hunters, farmers, pilots);

• Formulate questions about and identify needs and problems related to objects and events inthe environment, and explore possible answers and solutions (e.g., test a variety of fabrics fortheir waterproofing or insulating properties)

• Describe ways in which weather conditions affect the activities of humans and other animals(e.g., people refrain from strenuous physical activity in extreme heat; animals hibernate inextreme cold; animal fur thickens with cold weather);

• Explain how climatic and weather conditions influence the choice of materials used forbuilding shelters (e.g., wood/bricks are often used for building in cold climates, stone, andmarble in warmer climates);

• Use appropriate vocabulary, including correct science and technology terminology, indescribing their investigations and observations (e.g., use terms such as temperature,precipitation, relative humidity, wind chill factor, barometric pressure, and cloud cover);

Nova ScotiaCorrelation of “One Minute on Weather” to the Nova Scotia Science Curriculum Draft—Grade 5 Earth and Space Science: WeatherSpecific Learning Outcomes

• Using a variety of sources, gather information to describe the key features of weathersystems and identify weather-related technological innovations and products that have beendeveloped by cultures in response to weather conditions (107-14, 205-8, 302-11)

NunavutCorrelation of “One Minute on Weather” to the Nunavut Science Curriculum—Grade 6 WeatherConcepts, Processes, and Skills

• N/A



OntarioOntario Ministry of Education removed weather from its late elementary curriculum effective September 2008

Prince Edward IslandCorrelation of “One Minute on Weather” to Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and New Brunswick Science Curriculum—Grade 5 Earth and Space Science: WeatherSpecific Learning Outcomes




QuebecCorrelation of “One Minute on Weather” to the Quebec Science and Technology Curriculum—Cycle 3

Earth and Space: Systems and Interaction- Earth, atmospheric and space technologies (e.g., seismograph, prospecting, weatherforecasting, satellites, space station)

• Propose explanations or solutions to scientific problems• Communicate using appropriate scientific and technical terminology

Earth and Space: Energy- Energy sources: solar energy- Energy transmission (e.g., radiation)

Earth and Space: Systems and Interaction- Weather systems (e.g., clouds, precipitation, storms and climates)



SaskatchewanCorrelation of “One Minute on Weather” to the Saskatchewan Science Curriculum—Grade 4 Predicting WeatherScience Foundational and Learning Objectives

• Appreciate the importance of weather.3.1. Suggest some reasons why people rely on accurate weather information.3.2. Explain the importance of good weather to agriculture.3.3. Identify some hazards associated with bad weather.3.4. Describe some ways in which the weather affects human activity.3.5. Describe some ways in which the weather affects other living things.

YukonThe British Columbia program of studies forms the basis of the Yukon curriculum.

Additional information can be obtained at:

Environment and Climate Change CanadaPublic Inquiries Centre7th Floor, Fontaine Building200 Sacré-Coeur BoulevardGatineau QC K1A 0H3Telephone: 1-800-668-6767 (in Canada only) or 819-997-2800Email: [email protected]

Date post:	12-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	vancong
View:	215 times
Download:	2 times

One Minute on Weather - Environment and Climate Change … · TABLE OF ONTENTS i One Minute on...

Documents