Climate science
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For those of you who are interested in the science of meteorology, here is a short explainer from Earth Networks that describes what causes wind and how it is measured. In brief, wind is just the flow of air caused by differences in air pressure that cause the air to move from areas of high…
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The North Carolina State Climate Office has posted a new blog entry on some of their last big snow events. The last few winters have been lacking in significant snow events there and they are looking back to some of the last big snow events they have had in the state. You can read more…
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Yale Climate Connections has an interesting story about how a proposed mine in the vicinity of the Okefenokee Swamp may affect climate by changing the water supply in the area. This could lead to drying of the soil, releasing greenhouse gases like methane to the atmosphere. This is especially true if wildfires burn the dried-out…
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It’s the time of year when frost starts to affect large parts of the Southeast. One of the interesting phenomena that can occur in these chilly conditions are something called “frost flowers”. Basically, they are formed by thin ribbons of moisture freezing in the soil and being extruded upward into the air, resulting in fragile…
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In climatology, we talk about internal and external causes of climate variations. These can include things like how much sunlight is hitting the earth, volcanic eruptions, cloud coverage across the globe, and changes in the land surface. Here is an insightful article describing how internal and external variability in climate are both important but different…
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Now that fall colors are starting to appear down here in the higher elevations of the Southeast, you might be interested to know what causes the coloration in leaves. The Garden Professors posted a story about this a few years ago. You can read more here. I am looking forward to seeing more color in…
Posted in: Climate science -
Here is another weather-related lesson plan, this one for younger grades from NASA. In it, the students design and build their own rain gauges to measure daily rainfall. This teaches them about engineering skills as well as a better understanding of how to measure rain. You can view more information and download a teachers’ guide…