Weather and Climate Lesson 1 Web Quest: What is the Weather? List 10 different words to describe the weather in the box, below. How do we measure the weather? Use this web link to help you: http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/weatherwise/activities/weatherstation/ For each element of the weather listed below give the units of measurement and the name of the instrument used to measure it. Click on the What is. link on the right hand side. Weather element Temperature Wind Sun Rain and snow Humidity Cloud Visibility Air pressure Units of measurement What are the record weather extremes for Britain? Find out here: http://www.meto.gov.uk/climate/uk/ > extreme weather Answer on the lines provided. Instrument used highest temperature? lowest temperature? highest rainfall in 24hours? highest amount of sunshine in a month? lowest monthly sunshine? Is the weather in UK more or less extreme than world records? Go to this web link and find out. Answer in the space provided using facts to prove your point. http://www.dandantheweatherman.com/pikanto/worldrec.htm
Explain how the weather affects people in two of these pictures (space on next page) Information PHOTO 1 This photo was taken in Munich. It shows the effect of heavy snowfall. It often snows in Munich in winter but this amount of snowfall is unusual. Information PHOTO 2 This photo was taken in northern India. Every year heavy rainfall happens during the monsoon season that lasts from about June to September. Whilst the rain can be a nuisance, many people look forward to the monsoon rains. Information PHOTO 3 This photo was taken in Nome in the state of Alaska. Heavy snowfall and high winds are not unusual. Houses are built to withstand these weather conditions.
Photo Photo Homework What is your worst ever weather experience? Say what it was, where it happened and what happened to you. Lesson 2 What s the Weather Like in What is today s weather like? Write at least three sentences to describe it. http://www.weatherimages.org/ > web cams > USA or World web cams Choose two different web cams, name the place and describe the place and the weather there. Name: Name:
Why are web cams very useful to weather forecasters? What is the difference between a web cam picture and a satellite image? A Weather Satellite image of Europe Draw arrows from these labels to the correct places on the satellite image. Use an atlas to help you if necessary. 1. A line of cloud stretching from north of Spain, through UK to Iceland. 2. A large area of cloud in southern France. Key: cloud is white or grey; the darker the land or sea, the hotter it is. On 17/8/03 much of Britain was warm (about 19 to 25 C), dry with hazy sunshine. Winds were light. Rainfall was slowly approaching UK from the west. TASK: Study the satellite image and then answer these questions with true or false. Much of the British Isles is covered in cloud It is very cold in Italy It is likely to be raining in Southern France There is a lot of cloud over the Atlantic Ocean. If it is cloudy it is always raining.
Extension tasks: 1. Find today s weather satellite image for Europe: www.meto.gov.uk> Satellite Images > British Isles Latest Infra Red Describe any similarities or differences between today s weather in Sedgley and that shown in the satellite image. Similarities Differences 2. Watch 24 hour rainfall radar animation for UK. Describe what you see: go to www.meto.gov.uk > rainfall radar > view as animation. Wait for the animation to load and then click play Note the key for the different amounts of rainfall. Lesson 3 How do we Show Climate on a Graph? What is the difference between weather and climate? Write down what you think the difference is: TASK: Compare your answer with others in the class and agree a definition. Of these three statements, which is the best definition of climate? Tick it. Climate is the average weather conditions over one week. Climate is the same as weather. Climate is the average weather over at least 30 years.
Example of a climate graph Note: temperature is always a line graph in red and rainfall is always a bar chart in blue. Climate Details for Penkridge near Wolverhampton. Penkridge (101 m AMSL) Days of Days of Air Frost Rainfall Max Temp Min Temp Sunshine Rainfall >= 1mm Month [deg C] [deg C] [days] [hours] [mm] [days] Jan 7 1 11 45 63 13 Feb 7 1 10 59 44 10 Mar 10 3 6 90 51 12 Apr 12 4 4 130 49 10 May 16 6 1 180 53 10 Jun 18 9 0 161 59 10 Jul 21 11 0 184 47 8 Aug 21 11 0 169 58 9 Sep 18 9 0 122 64 10 Oct 14 6 2 95 61 11 Nov 10 3 6 59 62 12 Dec 7 2 9 38 67 12 Year 13 6 50 1330 127 Note: Penkridge is in Staffordshire near Wolverhampton. AMSL stands for altitude in metres above sea level. TASK: Follow these instructions carefully to create a climate graph for Penkridge. 1. First, in Microsoft Excel produce a table as follows: Rainfall (mm) Maximum Temperature (celcius) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2. Next, type in the rainfall and temperature data from the Climate Table for Penkridge above. 3. Select all, and click on the Chart wizard button 4. You should then be able to edit the graph. Add a title and label the axes. 5. Remember- temperature is the line graph, rainfall is the bar chart. Tip: Once you have produced the graph, copy it into Word and add your Name and Form before printing it off.
Describe your Penkridge climate graph by answering these questions: 1. Which is the wettest month? 2. Why do you think some months are wetter than others? 3. Which is the hottest month? 4. Describe what happens to the temperature during the year 5. What is the temperature range (the difference between the highest and lowest maximum temperature)? 6. What is the average monthly rainfall? (add up the total rainfall in the table and divide by 12) How do the seasons affect our climate? First watch these animations carefully. Be considerate to others when playing sound. http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/earth/seasons/seasons.htm http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/projects/data/seasons/seasons.html TASK: cross out the wrong answers in the following list of facts: The earth is tilted at an angle of 23.5/26.5/32.5 degrees in space. The earth is divided into 2/3/4 hemispheres. Summer in the northern hemisphere is in December/March/June Summer in the southern hemisphere is in December/March/June If it is summer in the northern hemisphere it is winter/autumn/spring in the southern hemisphere. Warmest temperatures happen when the earth faces the sun/faces away from the sun/faces south. Homework Part 1 In the box below draw a picture to show how we get summer in the northern hemisphere. Include: the earth, the sun and arrows to show sunlight. Don t forget to show the earth tilted at an angle.
Part 2 Extension work. Watch the weather forecast for the Midlands on TV or find it on the web at www.meto.gov.uk Write in the first box what the weather forecast is and in the second box what the weather actually was. In the third box say how accurate you thought the weather forecast was. TIP; if watching TV record the forecast and play it back a bit at a time to make it easier to write down. Weather forecast for the Midlands on Temperatures: Wind speed and direction: Rainfall: Amount of cloud: Actual weather observed on (date) How the weather forecast was similar or different to the actual weather. Lesson 4 Climate, Location and Adaptation (may need to be finished after ICT room rota ends) People, plants and animals have to adapt to the climate of the area of the world in which they live. Adapt means to change. Your task is to work in groups and produce one A3 sheet to explain how people animals and plants adapt to the climate in ONE region of the world. Your work must include: a climate graph with a description of the climate an annotated picture to show how an animal has adapted to the climate labelled picture to show how people have adapted to the climate a map to show where in the world this type of climate is found an explanation as to how the climate is different to that of our area (use the Penkridge data ) Resources: atlases, scissors and selotape, computers. www.worldclimate.com Tip: 1 split the work up between your group 2 use an atlas to locate a place in your chosen climate area 3 when using Google to search for pictures, click Google Images 4 any print outs MUST have your name on: save paper by putting more than one image per page 5 Don t stick anything down until everything is ready: remember you have only one sheet of A3 to fit it all on
Desert Arctic
Rain Forest