TN State Standard: ESS2. Earth's Systems by Adrienne Baker

Water Molecule

awood75 — 2024-09-10 22:51:03 UTC

Water is made of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom. Chemical formula: H2O.

Water Cycle

awood75 — 2024-09-10 23:02:29 UTC

The continuous movement of water between the atmosphere, land, and oceans, where water evaporates from bodies of water, rises into the atmosphere as vapor, condenses to form clouds, and then falls back to Earth as precipitation(rain, snow, or hail), eventually returning to the water sources through runoff and infiltration into the ground, completing the cycle.

Source: https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/freshwater/water-cycle#:~:text=It%20is%20a%20complex%20system,vapor%20becomes%20solid%20(deposition).

Types of Clouds

awood75 — 2024-09-10 23:05:58 UTC

There are 5 major types of clouds on Earth they are: cumulus, Cumulonimbus, Cirrus, Stratus, and Nimbostratus.

Cumulus Clouds

awood75 — 2024-09-10 23:11:57 UTC

Are made up of liquid water, ice crystals, or supercooled water droplets. It depends on the temperature. They form when warm water vapor rises into the sky, cools, and condenses into small water droplets that stack on top of each other. The word "cumulus" comes from the Latin word for "heap, pile, or accumulation," which describes the clouds structure.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumulus_cloud#:~:text=Cumulus%20clouds%20are%20often%20precursors,reflecting%20the%20incoming%20solar%20radiation.

Cumulonimbus Clouds

awood75 — 2024-09-10 23:18:09 UTC

They are born through convection. They get taller and taller until they are large powerhouses, storing the same amount of energy as 10 Hiroshima sized atom bombs. They are associated with extreme weather such as torrential downpours, hail storms, lightning and even tornadoes. This only tends to occur when they are multicell or supercell.

Source: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/clouds/low-level-clouds/cumulonimbus

Cirrus Clouds

awood75 — 2024-09-10 23:23:35 UTC

Are made up of ice crystals, and this gives them their white color. They form when dry air rises, causing the water vapor in the air to turn directly into ice. They can also form contrails which are vapor trails left by planes flying through the upper troposphere.

Source: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/clouds/high-clouds/cirrus#:~:text=How%20do%20cirrus%20clouds%20form,become%20cirrus%2C%20cirrostratus%20and%20cirrocumulus.

Stratus Clouds

awood75 — 2024-09-10 23:27:31 UTC

These clouds tend to be featureless, low altitude that cover the sky in a blanket of grey or white. They are often seen on overcast days, they can also persist for long periods of time.

Source: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/clouds/low-level-clouds/stratus

Stratus Cloud Video

awood75 — 2024-09-10 23:28:39 UTC

Nimbostratus Clouds

awood75 — 2024-09-10 23:32:31 UTC

These clouds are dark grey, featureless layers of cloud. Thick enough to block the suns light and produce persistent rain. Often associated with mid-latitude cyclones. These clouds are often seen during thunderstorms and even more severe weather.

Source: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/clouds/mid-level-clouds/nimbostratus

Video on Types of Clouds

awood75 — 2024-09-10 23:33:53 UTC

Rain Fall in USA

awood75 — 2024-09-10 23:39:15 UTC

We live in the state of Tennessee. The average amount of rain we receive in a given year is 50-60 inches. Visit this source to compare Tennessee to Nevada.

Source: https://nyskiblog.com/directory/weather-data/us/annual-precipitation-map/

Temperature Average in USA

awood75 — 2024-09-10 23:42:39 UTC

Tennessee's average temperature is 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit. Use the link below to learn the temperature of Idaho, New York, Mississippi, Texas, and Florida.

Source: https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/US/state-temperature-maps-seasonal.php

Wind Speed Chart

awood75 — 2024-09-10 23:47:31 UTC

Click on image and use site to answer: At what speed does it calm; smoke rises vertically? How fast does the wind need to be to break a limb out of a tree? How fast does the wind need to be to blow a whole tree down?

Three Major Climate Zones

awood75 — 2024-09-10 23:54:47 UTC

3 major climate zones are polar, temperate, and tropical. The zones are based on latitude.

Tropical: located near the equator, have high temperatures and high rainfall.

Temperate: located between the equator and the poles, often found in the middle latitudes.

Polar: located near the poles, these climates are found in the high latitudes.

Rainfall Graph

awood75 — 2024-09-10 23:57:21 UTC

This bar graph shows the rainfall in Nashville, TN in October 2023. As you can see the lowest month of rainfall is October.

Source: https://www.wkrn.com/weather-headlines/middle-tennessee-drought-conditions-oct-2023/

Poles are Melting

awood75 — 2024-09-11 00:03:11 UTC

The poles are melting due to climate change and the ozone layer thinning. The north and south poles are our polar zones. The picture above shows how the poles have melted from 1980-2018.

Source: https://www.wkrn.com/weather-headlines/middle-tennessee-drought-conditions-oct-2023/

What is Wind?

awood75 — 2024-09-11 00:08:01 UTC

We can't see the wind but we can feel it. You can see the effects of it, like in this picture. The leaves are blowen to one direction as a strong gust of wind blows through the them. To define wind: natural movement of the air, in the form of air blowing in a current in a particular direction.

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wind

Wind Direction & Speed

awood75 — 2024-09-11 00:11:19 UTC

The wind speed and direction is measure by an anemometer(pictured above).

PBS Website

awood75 — 2024-09-11 00:19:37 UTC

This website teaches us about mountains and rain shadows.

PBS Website Clouds

awood75 — 2024-09-11 00:21:41 UTC

This website provides videos and quizzes on clouds.

PBS Website Water Cycle

awood75 — 2024-09-11 00:23:00 UTC

This website provides a lesson on the water cycle.