Weather

1. Weather Unit 4 – 5th Grade Science

2. Setting Up Your Journal • Title Page • “Weather” should be written on the page and you should include illustrations (make sure they are colored in)

3. Table of Contents and Essential Questions • Table of Contents (pages 2 and 3) • Page 4 – Essential Questions • Pages 5-7 – 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?

4. 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

5. 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

6. Weather Tools

7. Weather Tools • The most common weather tools are: • Thermometer • Wind Vane • Anemometer • Barometer • Rain Gauge • Hygrometer

8. Thermometer A thermometer is a weather tool used to measure temperature.

9. 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.

10. Anemometer An anemometer is a weather tool that measures wind speed.

11. Barometer Barometers measure air pressure. Air pressure can help you predict good or bad weather.

12. 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.

13. Hygrometer A hygrometer measures water vapor content of the air or humidity.

14. Weather Tools Continued

15. 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

16. 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.

18. 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

19. Water Cycle

20. Water never leaves the Earth. It is constantly being cycled through the atmosphere, ocean, and land. This process, known as the water cycle, is driven by energy from the sun. The water cycle is crucial to the existence of life on our planet.

22. The Water Cycle

23. During part of the water cycle, the sun heats up liquid water and changes it to a gas by the process of evaporation. Water that evaporates from Earth’s oceans, lakes, rivers, and moist soil rises up into the atmosphere.

25. The process of evaporation from plants is called transpiration. (In other words, it’s like plants sweating.)

27. As water (in the form of gas) rises higher in the atmosphere, it starts to cool and become a liquid again. This process is called condensation. When a large amount of water vapor condenses, it results in the formation of clouds.

29. When the water in the clouds gets too heavy, the water falls back to the earth. This is called precipitation.

31. When rain falls on the land, some of the water is absorbed into the ground forming pockets of water called groundwater. Most groundwater eventually returns to the ocean. Other precipitation runs directly into streams or rivers. Water that collects in rivers, streams, and oceans is called runoff.

33. http://perso.orange.fr/prof.danglais/animations/watercycle/watercycle.htmhttp://perso.orange.fr/prof.danglais/animations/watercycle/watercycle.htm

34. Clouds

35. Clouds

36. 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 3 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.

37. 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.

38. 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, lightning and sometimes even tornadoes.

39. 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.

40. 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.

41. Fog Fog is a stratus cloud that forms close to the ground. Fog is made up of very small water droplets.

42. 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!

43. Fronts

44. 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

45. 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. • Maritime Polar- cold, wet weather • Continental Polar- cold, dry weather • Maritime Tropical- warm, wet weather • Continental Tropical- warm, dry weather • When a warm air mass and a cold air mass meet a front is formed. • Study Jams - Air Masses and Fronts • Weather Fronts

46. 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.

47. 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

48. 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.

49. Air Pressure Diagram

50. 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.