Meteorology - The science that deals with the phenomena of the atmosphere, especially weather and weather conditions.
Weather changes all the time. But what brings about the weather changes in our Earth? Earth gets it weather from Sun and Wind.
The earth is slightly tilted on its axis. As the sun shines on the earth, it shines more directly on the northern hemisphere in June, and more directly on the southern hemisphere in December. That's why the seasons are different in each hemisphere. In the spring and fall, the sun shines fairly straight on the equator, giving both hemispheres equal warming.
The uneven heating of Earth by Sun produces warm air in some places, and colder in others. Warm air rises up, and Cold air moves in to fill the place left by the warm air. This causes Wind. And it is the wind (and ocean currents) that move the weather all around the Earth.
Water on the Earth: Triple Waters. Water comes in three forms. As a liquid, we see it in the lakes and oceans, we see it falling as rain, and we see it come into our home for drinking or washing. As a solid, we see water as ice and snow. As a gas, water vapor is always floating in the air. Water changes from liquid to solid by freezing. It changes from liquid to gas by evaporation. It changes from gas to liquid by condensation.
Weather changes all the time. But what brings about the weather changes in our Earth? Earth gets it weather from Sun and Wind.
The earth is slightly tilted on its axis. As the sun shines on the earth, it shines more directly on the northern hemisphere in June, and more directly on the southern hemisphere in December. That's why the seasons are different in each hemisphere. In the spring and fall, the sun shines fairly straight on the equator, giving both hemispheres equal warming.
The uneven heating of Earth by Sun produces warm air in some places, and colder in others. Warm air rises up, and Cold air moves in to fill the place left by the warm air. This causes Wind. And it is the wind (and ocean currents) that move the weather all around the Earth.
Water on the Earth: Triple Waters. Water comes in three forms. As a liquid, we see it in the lakes and oceans, we see it falling as rain, and we see it come into our home for drinking or washing. As a solid, we see water as ice and snow. As a gas, water vapor is always floating in the air. Water changes from liquid to solid by freezing. It changes from liquid to gas by evaporation. It changes from gas to liquid by condensation.
Air is full of Water. You can't see it, but the air contains a lot of water. Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air. When air gets cold, the water vapor condenses into clouds. And when warm air holds a lot of water vapor, the air can feel sticky and damp. The amount of water in the air is called humidity.
Water Cycle : The rain that falls from the sky today has been around for thousands of years. The molecules of water in today's rainfall might have been in yesterday's cloud or last week's dew, or in a lake or ocean. Although water takes three basic forms (liquid, solid and gas) we see in many forms of it, such as frost, snow, rain, and clouds. The cycle of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation never ends.
Water Cycle : The rain that falls from the sky today has been around for thousands of years. The molecules of water in today's rainfall might have been in yesterday's cloud or last week's dew, or in a lake or ocean. Although water takes three basic forms (liquid, solid and gas) we see in many forms of it, such as frost, snow, rain, and clouds. The cycle of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation never ends.
What are clouds?A cloud is a large collection of very tiny droplets of water or ice crystals. The droplets are so small and light that they can float in the air.
Basic Cloud Types:
What causes lightning?Lightning is an electric current. Within a thundercloud way up in the sky, many small bits of ice (frozen raindrops) bump into each other as they move around in the air. All of those collisions create an electric charge. After a while, the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges. Lightning bolts are extremely hot, with temperatures of 30,000 to 50,000 degrees F. That's hotter than the surface of the sun! When the bolt suddenly heats the air around it to such an extreme, the air instantly expands, sending out a vibration or shock wave we hear as an explosion of sound. This is thunder.
Next time you see a storm, count the number of seconds between when you see the lightning and hear the thunder. Take the number of seconds and divide by 5 and that will tell you how far away the storm is in miles.
What causes lightning?Lightning is an electric current. Within a thundercloud way up in the sky, many small bits of ice (frozen raindrops) bump into each other as they move around in the air. All of those collisions create an electric charge. After a while, the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges. Lightning bolts are extremely hot, with temperatures of 30,000 to 50,000 degrees F. That's hotter than the surface of the sun! When the bolt suddenly heats the air around it to such an extreme, the air instantly expands, sending out a vibration or shock wave we hear as an explosion of sound. This is thunder.
Next time you see a storm, count the number of seconds between when you see the lightning and hear the thunder. Take the number of seconds and divide by 5 and that will tell you how far away the storm is in miles.
No comments:
Post a Comment