Module VI: Oceans above, oceans below
"The sun is a mass of incandescant gas" that drives everything! Explain
As I read through this week’s material, what struck me in each passage was the “mass of incandescent gas” located 93 million miles away determines our weather and ultimately drives the oceans and climate. How cool is that?
| Image from the Navy Research Laboratory |
Solar Image from the National Research Laboratory
Energy transfer
Cool….no hot…no wait! That’s what drives all of these interconnected systems on our planet: temperature differences and energy transfer. I am amazed how just a small temperature difference in the atmosphere (or in the ocean) can create wind and weather.
I was reminded how evaporation and condensation are cooling processes. I have done a demonstration of making rain for students where you heat up water in a pan (radiant heat from the earth). When it starts boiling, you hold a pan of ice water about 12” from the above the boiling water. You can watch condensation and evaporation as the water boils and condenses. It’s a quick and fun way to demonstrate one of the many processes that happen in our atmosphere.
Pollution transfer
Biomagnification: it even sounds bad! Because of our global weather patterns and how everything goes from “where it’s hot to where it’s not” (Clay Good) pollutants concentrate in the polar regions. In turn, the pollutants that originated far away affect the indigenous polar cultures. People living in the arctic regions are deeply tied to the land and sea. I was struck by the comment in the video about the Inuit people. Their traditional foods may no longer be safe to eat. As a result, the people are having to change the lifestyle that they have enjoyed for thousands of years. It is incredible that the pollution created in densely populated areas half a world away can have such a profound effect. The Inuit are now eating what their traditional foods eat!
Lamenting on Life as a Lobster
As Clay and the National Geographic video on Revealing the Earth’s Atmosphere pointed out, we are like lobsters crawling around on the bottom of an ocean of air. I really like that analogy. It gives a whole different perspective from which to view the world.
Physics is Phun
The demonstrations about boiling water in a vacuum are awesome! Many Alaskan students can relate to the interaction of pressure and temperature by their experience with propane. It’s a gas when you burn it, but a liquid in the tank. I ask the students if they have ever put their hand on the tank – if they have, they know it is cold. Then you can have a discussion about why the liquid propane is cold. Another great example is opening a can of pop while ice fishing…..another good demonstration of PV=nrT!
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| The Tesla Coil in Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles (photo by K. East) |
Extend
Talk about good timing – I am in the middle of a unit on weather for our home school program. It couldn’t be more relevant and I will be using a lot of the material. I will be using videos that explain and show how wind and ocean currents are set up. Although students understand the basic idea that warmer (less dense) air rises and cooler (more dense) air sinks, putting that all together on a global scale is difficult. The complicated interactions of heat, air, pressure, humidity, and temperature that drive the weather are hard to explain and demonstrate. The technology is great for being able to illustrate abstract concepts.
The information about biomagnifications of pollutants is very relevant to people in the community of Kenai. Most people here fish for salmon. Salmon occupy a low trophic level, however the concentrations of chemicals such as mercury can still be damaging. It is crucial for cultures that rely on subsistence to be aware of these potential hazards.
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| Dip netting on Kenai City Beach (photo by K. East) |
Explain
I will be able to use this information for the weather station in the Challenger Learning Center missions. We will be adding the Mission to Earth and I will be able to design a station and curriculum specific to Alaska. Our new Magic Planet projector can get almost real time weather from satellite data. The background information presented in this unit is awesome. The 3 interactives I will use are:
Layers and composition of our atmosphereThe jetstream
The interaction of our ocean and the atmosphere
These will be used for individual students learning the basic concepts. Then we can examine a global view on the Magic Planet. What an awesome way to put it all in perspective for students!
could be easily adapted for an Arctic food web. As I played the game, I was thinking of adding the animal sound when a correct choice is made.
3 Colleagues for this week:
Tyler Orbison
Tyler makes an excellent connection between the jet stream and food. The newspaper predicts the jet stream location will change, which affects the weather which affects the deer which affects the food supply. Quite a connection in our daily lives that we normally don’t think about. I also like the fact that Tyler mentions using the NOAA weather and satellite information for hunting. It’s a great way to show students that all this science stuff can be very useful, even to the point where your life may depend on it.
Kevin Hamrick
The information about the study done by the institute in Nevada was very interesting. Glad Kevin found that and shared it! Just one more example of how we are all connected and why we all need to be aware of what is happening - even if it happens half a world away!
Cheryl Emerson
I’m excited that Cheryl can use this information to prepare her students for their visit to the Challenger Learning Center! Even though they are “space” missions, there are a lot of earth science lessons embedded in them. I was also excited to see that she is participating in EarthKam. What a great way to give students a global perspective. The same goes for being able to compare historical images on Google Earth – I love that feature!
Thanks for the "lobster" picture, Kathy! What a chuckle!
ReplyDeleteAlison
Thanks for the link to the food web game. I will use it along with my PLT curriculum.
ReplyDelete