The purpose of this investigation is to help students develop an understanding the earth's climate system. Through a series of reading and map activities, students will begin to see climatic patterns and the physical conditions that create them. These physical conditions create life zones, or biomes. In the final activity of this investigation the students are asked to create a brochure describing one biome of the earth in great detail. Students pick one location on earth and describe it in a "travel brochure".
Date assigned:
Date Due:
Students will work on their own on this project but may share ideas and answers. Each student will receive one project folder with the needed maps, project reading and worksheets. These are to be kept in the classroom and will be collected during class, after presentations have been made. These activities must be completed in the order they are written.
Completed projects will include -
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pictures from the Missouri Botanical Garden biomes web site http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/
Most Earth Science textbooks provide much of the basic information needed for this lesson. It is also recommended that students read any handouts and web links here before beginning. Useful links - Biomes has many good links to start.
To learn more about climate read the background information on climate here. http://www.noaa.gov/climate.html
Part A: Zooming into Regions around the World
Is the climate changing? How would you know? Historical weather data is available
on the web. We will use this data to look at trends in one area and around
the globe. Be sure to choose a time period that gives you between 7 and 20
years of data so that you can see averages and trends.
this activity uses the CLIMVIS website http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/onlineprod/drought/xmgr.html
Activity 1
- United States
Begin by looking at weather data for the United States
Click on the link for National Weather Service Summary of the day.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/onlineprod/tfsod/climvis/main.html
Suggestion: hold down the control key so that this page loads in a new window.
On the weather data page
Plot the graphs and then copy them to your word processing document.
Once you have two graphs answer the following questions:
a. List the cities and states that you graphed and your criteria (reasons) for choosing them.
b. How did the temperature and precipitation data relate to one another? Do they seem to have any similar patterns why or why not?c. Use a map or atlas to find the states. Explain the varaitions in the weather due to the factors (topography, proximity to water bodies, latitude, etc) that create climate discussed in class.
Activity 2 – World data
Click on the
link for CLIMVIS Global Historical Data - http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/ghcn/ghcn.SELECT.html
Click on right box "version 2 -temperature data" and
agree to the disclaimer.
Return to the selection screen and repeat this process for the same locations,
but choose December instead.
Once you have 2 graphs answer the following questions:
a. How does the temperature change in each graph over the year?
b. Can you see any patterns?
c. Why do the temperatures in the northern and southern hemispheres differ in December and June?
end of Part A
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Activity #1 - Explore a single map - data set.
Look at the map on the web here http://www.globe.gov/fsl/educornimages/poster_letter_color.jpg
or on the paper earth system poster map in the classroom
Begin by choosing a one of the 36 images.
List which image you have chosen:
Data set (solar energy, average temperature, precipitation..) _______________
Month ( January, March, May, July , November) : _________________
Continental region: _________________
For
example, below I have chosen as my area of focus:
Data set: Average temperature from - January 1987
Region: Brazil, South America
Answer the following questions:
On your answer sheet, a separate piece of paper or in a word processing
document.
1. First find the scale bar on the bottom of your map. What is the range of the values shown there? Give your answer in terms of the measurement units displayed on the map (watts, degrees Celsius, etc.)2. Where in the world do you find the highest and lowest values of the data on your map?
3. Where are these extreme values? Why do you think the extremes are located where they are?
4. OPTIONAL: Look for and describe other patterns that you see on the map. Are they different over continents than over water? Explain the patterns.
end of activity
1B
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Choose one type of data to explore over a full year. Look
for cyclical patterns in the column, by scrolling down a column. http://www.globe.gov/fsl/html/templ.cgi?esframe_solar&lang=en&nav=1
The data may also be visualized using the animations
here
You may switch movie types by choosing selecting the movie type and then clicking the box "new movie".
Answer the following
questions:
Use a separate piece of paper or type in a word processing document.
1. List which data type you have chosen:
Data set (solar energy, average temperature, ...) _______________
2. What changes in the data do you see through the year? What seasonal patterns and annual cycles emerge? What explanations can you suggest for these patterns?
3. Pick one location or area. During what months do the extreme highs and lows occur for each data type? What explanations can you suggest for the timing of those extremes?
4.What differences, if any, do you find between the year's variations over the oceans versus the continents?
5.Are there regions that remain unchanged over the year? Why do you think this is so?
end of
activity 2B
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Look at the map on the web here http://www.globe.gov/fsl/html/templ.cgi?esframe_solar&lang=en&nav=1 or on the paper maps provided by your teacher.
Focus on just one month (one row) of the year and change the image data set. You may want to focus one just one region at a time before you put the global picture together. Some relationships between data are more easily perceived than others. For example cloud cover and precipitation appear to be directly related in many regions.
Answer the following
questions:
Use a separate piece of paper or type in a word processing document.
1. List which month you have chosen:
month: _______________
2.What relationships do you see between solar energy, sunshine and average temperature? temperature and vegetation?
3.What amounts of solar energy, cloud amount, precipitation and soil moisture characterize, the world's most vegetated regions?
4. What do you discover when you compare data for cloud amount and precipitation?
5. Consider the following: If cloud cover was reduced by 25%, what changes would you predict for the equatorial region of Africa? Why?
end of part
B Choose
one location and create a brochure marketing this as the ultimate location
to live or vacation.. be creative,
have some fun! Choose a place you may never have heard of (not where
you vacationed this summer! ) The goal is to demonstrate your understanding
of the relationship between the physical and biological features of a region
with your brochure. Creativity will be rewarded.. challenge yourself! To complete these
questions you can use any number of sources including GIS software, atlases,
library books and web sites. Be sure to list
all resources in a Bibliography and keep track of your image sources. Your Brochure must include the following topics and data
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Part C: Choosing
a Place to Vacation --- Build
a Brochure about the ULTIMATE place.
Your brochure
should be written or typed neatly on one sheet of paper and folded
to form a three part brochure. Maximum paper dimension 11x 17.
You may use illustrations of your own or from other sources such as magazines
or the web, just be sure to credit your sources of information. You may use
the figures from the Miller book.
(optional - you may present your brochure as an 8 slide power point, or
if you are really fancy a web page or other multimedia tool)
end of Part
C
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