What is climate?
Climate is the average weather usually taken over a 30-year time period for a particular region and time period. Climate is not the same as weather, but rather, it is the average pattern of weather for a particular region. Weather describes the short-term state of the atmosphere.
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Here for Extreme Weather Records Interactive Weather Records Map, Stats, & Facts Search Daily Weather Records that were tied or broken for the U.S. |
What is our climate system?
| Atmosphere | The atmosphere covers the Earth. It is a thin layer of mixed gases which make up the air we breathe. This thin layer also helps the Earth from becoming too hot or too cold. |
| Oceans | Oceans cover about 70 percent of Earth's surface. Their large size and thermal properties allow them to store a lot of heat. |
| Land | Land covers 27 percent of Earth's surface and land topography influences weather patterns. |
| Ice | Ice is the world's largest supply of freshwater. It covers the remaining 3 percent of Earth's surface including most of Antarctica and Greenland. Ice plays an important role in regulating climate, because it is highly reflective. |
| Biosphere | The biosphere is the part of Earth's atmosphere, land, and oceans that supports any living plant, animal, or organism. It is the place where plants and animals, including humans, live. |
What is the Water Cycle?
Click Here to learn more about the Earth's water cycle.
What is Global Warming?
Global warming refers to an average increase in the Earth's temperature, which in turn causes changes in climate. A warmer Earth may lead to changes in rainfall patterns, a rise in sea level, and a wide range of impacts on plants, wildlife, and humans. When scientists talk about the issue of climate change, their concern is about global warming caused by human activities. (Graphic Credit: World Almanac Education Group)
Is the Earth getting warmer?
Yes! The Earth has warmed by about 1ºF over the past 100 years. But why? Well, scientists are not exactly sure. The Earth could be getting warmer on its own, but many of the world's leading climate scientists think that things people do are helping to make the Earth warmer.
Click Here to learn more about Global Warming.
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the Earth experiences because certain gases in the atmosphere like water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane trap energy from the sun. Without these gases, heat would escape back into space and Earths average temperature would be about 60ºF colder and would not be warm enough for humans to live. But if the greenhouse effect becomes stronger, it could make the Earth warmer than usual. (Graphic Credit: EPA)
Click Here to learn about Earth's carbon cycle affected by global warming.
Global Warming may be a big problem, but can you make a difference?
Yes! There are several little things you can do to make a difference. Try carpooling. This will help reduce the amount of fossil fuels going into the atmosphere. Whenever you use electricity, you help put greenhouse gases into the air. Turning off lights, the television, and the computer when you are through with them. Also, planting trees is fun and a great way to reduce greenhouse gases. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the air. Finally, don't forget about recycling.
What is El Niño?
El Niño is a climate pattern where the water in the Pacific Ocean near the equator gets hotter than usual and affects the atmosphere and weather around the world. El Niño climate conditions occur every few years, and they are not predictable. El Niño is Spanish for The Little Boy. It refers to the Christ child and was named by Mexican fisherman, who noticed the climate pattern often formed around Christmastime.
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 In a normal year,
the warmest water is in the far western Pacific. This forms
thunderstorms.(Graphic Credit: USA TODAY) |
 In an El
Niño year, the warmest water moves eastward across the Pacific.
Thunderstorms disrupt the jet stream changing the weather
pattern. |
What type of a climate pattern do we see with an El Niño?
The climate pattern can change the weather of the United States, particularly in California and the southern states. Usually, El Niño brings more rain and higher temperatures. Also, warm ocean currents come farther north and all kinds of tropical fish can be caught in the waters far north along the United States West Coast. El Niño may also bring warmer than normal winter temperatures to the eastern part of the United States.
What is La Niña?
La Niña is sort of the opposite of El Niño. During a La Niña, the water in the same area along the equator gets colder than usual. This, too, affects weather around the globe and in the U.S. According to scientists, La Niña cycles generally create a more active hurricane season in the Atlantic.
What type of climate pattern do we see with La Niña?
In the United States, La Niña is expected to bring above normal temperatures throughout most of the Southwest and southern Florida in the late summer and fall. These warmer conditions will extend across the Southeast during the winter months. Cooler than normal winter temperatures are expected in the Pacific Northwest. Cooler than normal temperatures are also expected across the Great Lakes and Northeast later in the winter into spring. In addition to temperature effects, La Niña is also expected to affect rainfall. Drier than normal conditions will persist in west Texas, New Mexico and Arizona into October. The late fall and early winter forecasts indicate continued dry conditions throughout much of the southern U.S. and into portions of the Midwest. Above normal precipitation is predicted for much of the Pacific Northwest throughout the fall and into the winter months, and in the Ohio and Tennessee River Valley in the winter.
What is ozone?
Ozone is a natural gas that is found in two different layers of the atmosphere. In the layer around the Earth's surface, otherwise known as the troposphere, bad ozone dirties the air and helps make smog. The troposphere extends up to the stratosphere layer, where good ozone protects life on Earth by absorbing some of the sun's UV rays. Stratospheric ozone is found most often between six to 30 miles above the Earth's surface.
What is the ozone layer?
The ozone layer forms a thin shield high up in the sky. It protects life on Earth from the sun's ultraviolet rays. In the 1980s, scientists began finding clues that the ozone layer was going away or being depleted. This allows more UV radiation to reach the Earth's surface. This can cause people to have a greater chance of getting too much UV radiation. Too much UV can cause bad health effects like skin cancer, eye damage, and get you sick easier.
What is deforestation?
Deforestation is the cutting down large numbers of trees to use the land for something instead of a forest. Cutting down trees can affect the climate. After rain falls on a forest, mist rises and new rain clouds form. When forests are cut down, this cycle is disrupted, and the area eventually grows drier, causing a change in the local climate. If huge areas of trees are cut down, the carbon dioxide they would have used builds up in the atmosphere and contributes to the greenhouse effect. And without trees to hold the soil and absorb water, rain washes topsoil away, a process called soil erosion.
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What is erosion?
Erosion is the wearing away of the land by water, ice or wind. Soil erosion is a natural process. It becomes a problem when human activity causes it to occur much faster than under natural conditions. Wind and water are the main agents of soil erosion.
What is acid rain?
Acid rain is rain, snow or fog that is polluted by acid in the atmosphere and damages the environment. Two common air pollutants acidify rain: sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. When these substances are released into the atmosphere, they can be carried over long distances by prevailing winds before returning to earth as acidic rain, snow, fog or dust. When the environment cannot neutralize the acid being deposited, damage occurs.
Climate Activities
Lesson Plan: Here is a great lesson plan on learning about global warming. In this activity, kids learn about what causes global warming and what they can do to slow down the process. Note: This is a PDF file, so you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Lesson Plan: Here is a great lesson plan on El Niño. This lesson plan demonstrates the effects of El Niño, the trade winds, and upwelling. This is a PDF file, so you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Water Cycle Experiment: Here is a great experiment that teaches kids about how the water cycle works.
Acid Rain Experiment: Here is a great experiment on acid rain. It lets kids see how destructive acid rain can be to statue and buildings.
Ozone Pollution Science Fair Project: Here are some great science fair project ideas to help kids understand ozone pollution and makes them aware of how it is formed.
Greenhouse Effect Experiment: Here is an experiment that demonstrates how to recreate the greenhouse effect.
Global Warming Experiment: Here is an experiment investigates the effect on sea level due to the melting of floating ice due to global warming.
