Steve CulivanAerospace Education Services Project (AESP)
NASA John C. Stennis Space [email protected]
Aerospace Education Services Project
Hands-On Weather Science Activities
Teacher Learning Journey Webinar
Aerospace Education Services Project
Earth’s atmosphere is a thin layer of gases• 78% nitrogen• 21% oxygen• 1% other gases
The Nature of the Atmosphere
What is Weather?How the atmosphere behaves over
minutes, hours, days, season to season.
We predict and measure weather conditions:
temperature humidity precipitationcloudiness brightness
visibilitywindatmospheric pressure
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Aerospace Education Services Project
Weather vs. ClimateWeather refers to the current atmospheric conditions (including temperature, precipitation, wind, humidity, barometric pressure) at a particular time and place.
Climate refers to the general weather patterns expected in a given area (sometimes based on the 30 year average weather). Climate may also be applied more generally to large-scale weather patterns in time or space (e.g., an Ice Age climate or a tropical climate).
scool.larc.nasa.gov/
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globe.gov
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The Cloud Triangle
Clouds can be defined by:
• Their shape & form
• The cloud base altitude
• If they are precipitating
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No Clouds 0%
Clear0 - 10%
Isolated10 - 25%
Scattered25 - 50%
Broken50 - 90%
Overcast >90%
Contrail Cover
No Contrails 0% 0-10% 10-25% 25-50% >50%
Estimating PercentagesCloud Cover
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GLOBE “Cloud Cover” Activity
30%
http
://ww
w.g
lob
e.g
ov/d
ocu
me
nts/3
48
61
4/3
53
08
6/a
tla-clo
ud
cove
r.pd
f
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Aerospace Education Services Project
“Cloud In a Bottle” Activity
Meteorology: An Educator's Resource for Inquiry-Based Learning for Grades 5-9
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“Building a Barometer” Activity
Meteorology: An Educator's Resource for Inquiry-Based Learning for Grades 5-9
Aerospace Education Services Project
Clay
Straw
Initial Water Level Clay Plug
1 Liter Bottle
2 Liter Bottle
Hot Water Level
GLOBE “Building A Thermometer” Activity
http://www.globe.gov/documents/348614/353086/atla-therm.pdf
Aerospace Education Services Project
“Surface Color and Effect of Temperature Change” Activity
Meteorology: An Educator's Resource for Inquiry-Based Learning for Grades 5-9
Distance (miles)(covered over @20 minutes time by research aircraft measuring surface
temperature)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19
20
85.284.9 85.0 85.9 87.5 88.2 88.5 88.9 90.5 91.9 92.0 90.6 88.5 87.1 86.4 87.4 88.0 86.5 85.4 85.0 84.9
“Heat Island” Investigation
What is the reason for this temperature pattern?Aerospace Education Services Project
What is the reason for this temperature pattern?Aerospace Education Services Project
Atlanta, GA
“Heat Island” Investigation
NASA Mission Geography “Why Is the City Hot” Investigation
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svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/nasaviz/index.html
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www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/index.html
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www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/main/index.html
Aerospace Education Services Project
cab.inta-csic.es/rems/marsweather.html
Hands-On Weather Science Activities
Steve CulivanAerospace Education Services Project (AESP)
NASA John C. Stennis Space [email protected]
Aerospace Education Services Project
Questions / Answers / Comments
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