Weather Links
Changing Seasons http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=swf::800::600::/sites/dl/free/0072482621/78778/Seasons_Nav.swf::Seasons%20Interactive
Controlling the Weather http://www.explorit.org/stumper/stumper_44.html
EPA Climate Change Kids http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html
Global Climate Change http://www.exploratorium.edu/climate/index.html
Severe Weather: Hurricanes http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/sevweath/sevweath.html
Snow http://www.explorit.org/stumper/stumper_32.html
Weather Challenge http://scijinks.jpl.nasa.gov/wild-weather-adventure
Weather Crossword http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/crossword.html
Atmosphere and Clouds Word Search http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/wordsearch_atm.html
Blizzards and Winter Weather http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/blizzard.html
Climate: Design an Island http://www.eduweb.com/portfolio/earthsystems/climate/climate4.html
Control a Tornado http://teachers.renzullilearning.com/redir.aspx?r=44070&url=http%3A//whyfiles.org/interactives/a2.html
Introduction to Climate Data http://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/docfind/databrief/intro.html
Outsmart the Weather in a Race Around the World https://games.ciconline.org/windward/default.aspx
FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agengy http://www.fema.gov/
Links for WEATHER INDEPENDENT STUDY PROJECT
Weather Scope Webquest http://ciese.org/curriculum/weatherproj2/en/
Gulf Stream Voyage Webquest http://ciese.org/curriculum/gulfstream/
Mr. Cook's WDJH weather station (real time) http://www.pwsweather.com/obs/WDJH1.html
Mr. Cook's WDJH weather station (history) http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=KILWOODD4
Controlling the Weather http://www.explorit.org/stumper/stumper_44.html
EPA Climate Change Kids http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html
Global Climate Change http://www.exploratorium.edu/climate/index.html
Severe Weather: Hurricanes http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/sevweath/sevweath.html
Snow http://www.explorit.org/stumper/stumper_32.html
Weather Challenge http://scijinks.jpl.nasa.gov/wild-weather-adventure
Weather Crossword http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/crossword.html
Atmosphere and Clouds Word Search http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/wordsearch_atm.html
Blizzards and Winter Weather http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/blizzard.html
Climate: Design an Island http://www.eduweb.com/portfolio/earthsystems/climate/climate4.html
Control a Tornado http://teachers.renzullilearning.com/redir.aspx?r=44070&url=http%3A//whyfiles.org/interactives/a2.html
Introduction to Climate Data http://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/docfind/databrief/intro.html
Outsmart the Weather in a Race Around the World https://games.ciconline.org/windward/default.aspx
FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agengy http://www.fema.gov/
Links for WEATHER INDEPENDENT STUDY PROJECT
Weather Scope Webquest http://ciese.org/curriculum/weatherproj2/en/
Gulf Stream Voyage Webquest http://ciese.org/curriculum/gulfstream/
Mr. Cook's WDJH weather station (real time) http://www.pwsweather.com/obs/WDJH1.html
Mr. Cook's WDJH weather station (history) http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=KILWOODD4
WE ASKED AN EXPERT!
We asked Mr. Paul Sirvatka from the Meteorology Department at College of DuPage a few weather related questions. Here are his responses.
Mrs. Cline’s question: What is the difference between the “polar vortex” of last winter, and the strings of extreme cold days that happen at some point every winter?
Not much! A polar vortex is an upper-level region of intensely cold air. It breaks away from the jet stream similarly to how within a flowing river, little regions of rotation near the bank separate from the main river flow. It can stay together and bring with it significantly cold air into the US. This happens every year. It just so happened that with social media, the name became popular.
Sometimes cold air just moves into the US as the jet stream buckles, as it is doing currently.
Blake’s question: What caused the polar vortex of 2014 and how it got here? Also, some other facts, please.
The main reason is a shift in the jet stream. This jet stream pattern in the North Atlantic Ocean can have changes that occur over years of time or even patterns that have decades of time (maybe longer.) When the jet stream shifts, weather all over the world can change. And the weather affects the jet stream also. It is really a “chicken or egg question.” Whatever the causes or ultimately the reason a new shift will happen, there are times when the jet pattern favors extremely cold air in the eastern part of North America. This is what we have been seeing for the last few years. And when cold air is locked up over there, there will be times when some of that cold air dislodges. And that is when the “polar vortex” will be talked about in the news!
Izabela’s question: If global warming is caused by pollution, then isn’t there any way to stop it? Won’t it always be here even if people do stop throwing their garbage on the streets? Will we find the technology to make everything we use to not cause pollution?
Oh, this is a good question and a very important one. When one talks about global warming, we are referring to changes in the earth’s climate, some of which come from “natural variability” and some of which come from carbon dioxide.
Now carbon dioxide (CO2) is naturally occurring and necessary for life as we know it. When we burn fuels, CO2 are emitted as is water vapor. This is good and what we want. It does no harm to anyone. In fact, when animals breathe (including us) we also emit carbon dioxide. The US government has recently started to call this gas a pollutant so they can regulate it. Other pollutants can be harmful to humans directly and are and should be regulated. People really should not pollute when possible and we can do things to stop it. Using carbon dioxide is much more difficult since we use it for energy. We can find ways of minimizing it by being efficient, not wasting it when possible and finding other ways to create energy.
Adrian’s question: Do only scientists use okta (the measurement for cloud cover) or do other weather related jobs use okta?
Okta (or using cloud measurements in 1/8 increments) are very important for pilots. Take a look here to see how to read code that tell them what the weather conditions are: http://weather.cod.edu/notes/metar.html
Most others are usually more interested in more simple terms for clouds, like this: The cloud cover will either be FEW (1/8 TO 2/8 cloud coverage), SCT (SCATTERED, 3/8 TO 4/8 cloud coverage, BKN (BROKEN, 5/8-7/8 coverage), and OVC (OVERCAST, 8/8 Coverage)
Agata’s question: When talking about global warming, what are the actual greenhouse gases and how do they form? (examples)
See above for the discussion on carbon dioxide.
One of the most important (if not the most important) greenhouse gas is water vapor. This influences temperature greatly and is put into the atmosphere from evaporation of water. Water also goes into the atmosphere from plants (called transpiration.)
Methane (CH4) is a gas that comes from termites, cows (as they release gas) and other processes of plant decay. It might be fairly important world-wide but it is not as significant as the other two gases listed above.
There are other less important greenhouse gases but these are the big three.
Danielle’s question: What characteristics make a storm too dangerous to chase?
Storm chasing is very dangerous all the time. The biggest threat is lightning and traffic. The threat from a tornado is relatively low if a person knows what he/she is doing. However, one must be very careful when chasing storms with low visibility. This is always true at night when storm chasing can be extremely dangerous. It is also true when storms have a lot of rainfall very near the region where a tornado might form. It is always better to err on the side of caution staying far from the place where the tornado hits and watching from further away.
And always chase with professionals – never on your own!
Fabian’s question: How do people know when a tornado is going to hit?
Tornadoes are still fairly unpredictable and there are times when I think a tornado will occur and it does not, and there are times when I do not think a tornado is likely and one forms anyway!
However, the National Weather Service is becoming better at detecting a tornado as it is happening by using Doppler radar to detect areas in the atmosphere that are rotating strongly. These signatures of rotation give meteorologists a good indication of how significant the tornado threat is. But we all must be careful if the tornado is small or too far from the radar, where it becomes more difficult to see. That is when we rely on reports from trained weather spotters who actually see the tornado!
Anastasiya’s Question: How do people figure out the strength and wind speed of a tornado?
Finding out the exact wind speed is harder than you might think. Wind is highly variable and difficult to measure directly except with an anemometer. That would be difficult to get in front of a tornado anyway! Sometimes Doppler Radars are used to estimate the wind speed but that is also highly questionable as winds vary over a few feet above the ground and other problems. THe Enhanced Fujita Scale is how we measure tornado strength but that depends on the tornado hitting something and then giving a range to the approximate wind speeds that might do that sort of damage.
Austin’s question: If there was never wind, how would the modern climate change?
Wind is a part of climate...so without moving air there would be no climate in the first place! Air moves because of difference in pressure. Pressures vary because of differences in the way the earth is heated. The poles are cold and the equator is warm. As the earth tries to balance out those differences, winds result. As temperatures vary, so will the winds. But winds are chaotic in the first place and it is hard to know what normal really is. So weather, which is what we experience, will always change and always be interesting to experience.
Norbert’s Question: How would the world look or be like if there was only 1 or 2 kinds of weather conditions? What if there was no air pressure?
See the question above. When winds flow, sometimes air moves upward and sometimes in moves downward. It is rising air that results in things we would call weather: rain, snow, storms, etc.. Air that sinks is generally clear and tranquil. So in some ways, there are only two kinds of weather. Weather when the air sinks. And weather when the air rises - and that is the fun types of weather.
Professor Paul Sirvatka
College of DuPage Meteorology Department
Not much! A polar vortex is an upper-level region of intensely cold air. It breaks away from the jet stream similarly to how within a flowing river, little regions of rotation near the bank separate from the main river flow. It can stay together and bring with it significantly cold air into the US. This happens every year. It just so happened that with social media, the name became popular.
Sometimes cold air just moves into the US as the jet stream buckles, as it is doing currently.
Blake’s question: What caused the polar vortex of 2014 and how it got here? Also, some other facts, please.
The main reason is a shift in the jet stream. This jet stream pattern in the North Atlantic Ocean can have changes that occur over years of time or even patterns that have decades of time (maybe longer.) When the jet stream shifts, weather all over the world can change. And the weather affects the jet stream also. It is really a “chicken or egg question.” Whatever the causes or ultimately the reason a new shift will happen, there are times when the jet pattern favors extremely cold air in the eastern part of North America. This is what we have been seeing for the last few years. And when cold air is locked up over there, there will be times when some of that cold air dislodges. And that is when the “polar vortex” will be talked about in the news!
Izabela’s question: If global warming is caused by pollution, then isn’t there any way to stop it? Won’t it always be here even if people do stop throwing their garbage on the streets? Will we find the technology to make everything we use to not cause pollution?
Oh, this is a good question and a very important one. When one talks about global warming, we are referring to changes in the earth’s climate, some of which come from “natural variability” and some of which come from carbon dioxide.
Now carbon dioxide (CO2) is naturally occurring and necessary for life as we know it. When we burn fuels, CO2 are emitted as is water vapor. This is good and what we want. It does no harm to anyone. In fact, when animals breathe (including us) we also emit carbon dioxide. The US government has recently started to call this gas a pollutant so they can regulate it. Other pollutants can be harmful to humans directly and are and should be regulated. People really should not pollute when possible and we can do things to stop it. Using carbon dioxide is much more difficult since we use it for energy. We can find ways of minimizing it by being efficient, not wasting it when possible and finding other ways to create energy.
Adrian’s question: Do only scientists use okta (the measurement for cloud cover) or do other weather related jobs use okta?
Okta (or using cloud measurements in 1/8 increments) are very important for pilots. Take a look here to see how to read code that tell them what the weather conditions are: http://weather.cod.edu/notes/metar.html
Most others are usually more interested in more simple terms for clouds, like this: The cloud cover will either be FEW (1/8 TO 2/8 cloud coverage), SCT (SCATTERED, 3/8 TO 4/8 cloud coverage, BKN (BROKEN, 5/8-7/8 coverage), and OVC (OVERCAST, 8/8 Coverage)
Agata’s question: When talking about global warming, what are the actual greenhouse gases and how do they form? (examples)
See above for the discussion on carbon dioxide.
One of the most important (if not the most important) greenhouse gas is water vapor. This influences temperature greatly and is put into the atmosphere from evaporation of water. Water also goes into the atmosphere from plants (called transpiration.)
Methane (CH4) is a gas that comes from termites, cows (as they release gas) and other processes of plant decay. It might be fairly important world-wide but it is not as significant as the other two gases listed above.
There are other less important greenhouse gases but these are the big three.
Danielle’s question: What characteristics make a storm too dangerous to chase?
Storm chasing is very dangerous all the time. The biggest threat is lightning and traffic. The threat from a tornado is relatively low if a person knows what he/she is doing. However, one must be very careful when chasing storms with low visibility. This is always true at night when storm chasing can be extremely dangerous. It is also true when storms have a lot of rainfall very near the region where a tornado might form. It is always better to err on the side of caution staying far from the place where the tornado hits and watching from further away.
And always chase with professionals – never on your own!
Fabian’s question: How do people know when a tornado is going to hit?
Tornadoes are still fairly unpredictable and there are times when I think a tornado will occur and it does not, and there are times when I do not think a tornado is likely and one forms anyway!
However, the National Weather Service is becoming better at detecting a tornado as it is happening by using Doppler radar to detect areas in the atmosphere that are rotating strongly. These signatures of rotation give meteorologists a good indication of how significant the tornado threat is. But we all must be careful if the tornado is small or too far from the radar, where it becomes more difficult to see. That is when we rely on reports from trained weather spotters who actually see the tornado!
Anastasiya’s Question: How do people figure out the strength and wind speed of a tornado?
Finding out the exact wind speed is harder than you might think. Wind is highly variable and difficult to measure directly except with an anemometer. That would be difficult to get in front of a tornado anyway! Sometimes Doppler Radars are used to estimate the wind speed but that is also highly questionable as winds vary over a few feet above the ground and other problems. THe Enhanced Fujita Scale is how we measure tornado strength but that depends on the tornado hitting something and then giving a range to the approximate wind speeds that might do that sort of damage.
Austin’s question: If there was never wind, how would the modern climate change?
Wind is a part of climate...so without moving air there would be no climate in the first place! Air moves because of difference in pressure. Pressures vary because of differences in the way the earth is heated. The poles are cold and the equator is warm. As the earth tries to balance out those differences, winds result. As temperatures vary, so will the winds. But winds are chaotic in the first place and it is hard to know what normal really is. So weather, which is what we experience, will always change and always be interesting to experience.
Norbert’s Question: How would the world look or be like if there was only 1 or 2 kinds of weather conditions? What if there was no air pressure?
See the question above. When winds flow, sometimes air moves upward and sometimes in moves downward. It is rising air that results in things we would call weather: rain, snow, storms, etc.. Air that sinks is generally clear and tranquil. So in some ways, there are only two kinds of weather. Weather when the air sinks. And weather when the air rises - and that is the fun types of weather.
Professor Paul Sirvatka
College of DuPage Meteorology Department