Chapter 17  You should have read and noted this chapter by now so you are responsible for the content. We also created our layers of the atmosphere illustration by graphing the temperature at different altitudes. Additional resources are on the study page.

Chapter 19  You have been working on this content using different websites listed on the study resource page and using the notes outline I provided. Reading through this chapter will provide you with a better undertanding.

Chapter 20 Reading through this chapter will provide you with th basics of how we can predict the weather. You’ll learn about air masses and fronts. Then look at severe weather like Florida’s thunderstorms and hurricanes.

Chapter 18 To understand weather we need to understand the process of moisture cycling in our atmosphere. Some of this will be a review from the beginning of the year when we did the water cycle but there is some new information also. 

Reported by Janelle Jordan
ORLANDO — An Orange County eighth-grader is getting international attention.
Kira Myers, 13, of Windy Ridge School, produced a minute-long video that will be shown to 192 world leaders during the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

“I really feel like I’m making a difference, because if we can show our world leaders that the generation that’s coming into play cares, maybe they’ll pick up the pace and really do something to help our earth,” Kira told News 13.

Her video is one of just 15 out of 500 entries that will be shown during the conference. Just five of those videos are from the U.S.

Kira’s teachers, understandably, were very proud.

Indeed we are all very proud of Kira and hope that her and others like her will have a positive impact on the future of our world. Take a minute to watch her video.

Click the image to read the article.

Speaking of El Nino projects, I’m still working on grading all of them; please be patient. I should have all the grades done by Monday. I look through them all first to get an idea of how well you did. Then I grade each one, after which I go back and take a final look before putting grades in Progress Book. Below is an outline of what I’m looking for.

Ocean circulation and how it changes during El Nino. 

• Factors that influence currents: winds, land masses, Coriolis effect
• Normal non-El Nino Pacific currents: strong easterly trade winds, easterly equatorial currents, mounding of warm surface waters in the western Pacific, cold deep water upwelling along South America
• El Nino changes: weak or reversed trade winds, equatorial currents reverse (flow down hill) towards east, central and eastern Pacific warm, western Pacific cools, upwelling ceases.

Relationship between ocean and atmospheric circulation during El Nino:

• Changes in pacific equatorial currents and warming of central and western Pacific affects atmosphereic (Walker Cell) circulation. Normal Walker Cell circulation collapses or reverses, trade winds become weak or blow from the west and warm moist air raises over the central and eastern Pacific causing rains in normally dry areas, low pressure moves east, high pressure takes over west.
• Jet streams move south across US increasing precipitation in the south and making northern US warmer
• Changes in these circulations affect the weather around the globe

Weather impacts in Central Florida:

• Changes to jet stream results in fewer hurricanes due to increase wind shear aloft, hurricanes that do form tend to be pushed more towards the north Atlantic.
• Temperatures do not vary significantly, some slight cooling in winter months of about 2-3°
• Increased cloud cover and rainfall, an additional 10 inches (30%). This may have some negative impacts on crops and tourism, however it helps to recharge the aquifers and reduce the number of brush fires
• Increased likelihood of tornadoes

Relationship between ocean circulation, the aquatic food chain and El Nino:

• During non El nino years upwelling occurs along the west coast of south America. This upwelling brings nutrient rich cold bottom waters to the surface where it helps feed small organisms called phytoplankton. Phytoplankton are producers and form the bottom rung of the ocean food chain.
• During El Nino years the upwelling stops which results in significantly less phytoplankton. The reduced levels of phytoplankton means each level higher up on the food chain will have insufficient food.

How El Nino changes might affect the food chain/production in Florida:

• While El Nino has a significant negative affect on the fishing industry along the west coast of South America, it does not have a significant impact on fishing in Florida. El Nino is an event in the Pacific ocean not the Atlantic. However it may affect imports of certain fish and fish products raising prices due to decreased catch
• El Nino does affect our winter crops in Florida with increased rainfall and reduced sun. Increased rain might delay planting or increase diseases. Different varieties may need to be planted or different planting techniques used. Increased rain may be beneficial to some crops. El Nino even affects cattle raised in Florida, as pasture area is less productive and excessive rain can lead to hoof problems.

Your first Chapter Challenge is this:

Leaders in your community want to know if an El Nino event could affect the weather and economy of your community. They have asked your help. The state will host a conference to discuss how to minimize the impact of El Nino, but only if your research reveals it can actually affect your community.

You are to prepare a report in which you will explain:

1. Ocean surface circulation and how it changes during El Nino
2. The relationship of ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns during an El Nino
   

   Click to see a larger image

3. Changes in weather or climate that might occur in our community (central Florida)
4. The relationship between ocean circulation patterns and the food chain and how El Nino affects these.
   

   Click to see a larger image

5. How El Nino related changes in the food chain might affect Florida.

The project can take many forms (video, PowerPoint presentation, podcast or typed report).

Little time will be devoted to producing your report in class, so consider this a home project. Each of the activities we will be doing in class is designed to provide the information you need to complete this project. However feel free to conduct additional study into this topic and include that information in your report.

Each time you complete one of the activities, there is a “Reflecting on the Activity and the Challenge” and “Preparing for the Chapter Challenge” section in your EarthComm textbook, both of which are designed to help you complete your project.

The due date will be October 28th. That gives you a little more than 3 weeks.

The project will be evaluated on how thoroughly and accurately you address each of the items listed above. A one or two sentence answer for each would not be considered complete. Illustrations, charts, data tables or graphs should be included. These help to provide scientific data supporting your statements. Remember to include a list of sources. The report will also be graded on how interesting and creative it is. Put your artistic and scientific sides to work.

About an hour later we were standing on the beach in New Smyrna. Waves were running 5-8 feet and breaking far from the waters edge. A few people played near shore where one minute you were in ankle deep water and the next almost to your waist. The pull of the water as it ran back out to sea was amazing!

Unfortunately later that day the power of the waves took the life of a body surfer in New Smyrna and today waves from the same storm may have claimed more lives in Maine.

I decided to do a quick recap of our discussions about El Nino (actually this includes today and tomorrow). This might help with your notes.

Ocean circulation and how it changes during El Nino. 

• Factors that influence currents: winds, land masses, Coriolis effect
• Normal non-El Nino Pacific currents: strong easterly trade winds, easterly equatorial currents, mounding of warm surface waters in the western Pacific, cold deep water upwelling along South America
• El Nino changes: weak or reversed trade winds, equatorial currents reverse (flow down hill) towards east, central and eastern Pacific warm, western Pacific cools, upwelling ceases.

Relationship between ocean and atmospheric circulation during El Nino:

• Changes in pacific equatorial currents and warming of central and western Pacific affects Walker Cell circulation. Normal Walker Cell circulation collapses and warm moist air raises over the central and eastern Pacific, low pressure moves east.
• Jet streams move south across US
• Changes in these circulations affect the weather around the globe

Weather impacts in Central Florida:

• Changes to jet stream results in fewer hurricanes due to increase wind shear aloft, hurricanes that do form tend to be pushed more towards the north Atlantic.
• Temperatures do not vary significantly, some slight cooling in winter months of about 2-3°
• Increased cloud cover and rainfall, an additional 10 inches (30%). This may have some negative impacts on crops and tourism, however it helps to recharge the aquifers and reduce the number of brush fires
• Increased likelihood of tornadoes

Relationship between ocean circulation, the aquatic food chain and El Nino:

• During non El nino years upwelling occurs along the west coast of south America. This upwelling bring nutrient rich cold bottom waters to the surface where it helps feed small organisms called phytoplankton. Phytoplankton are producers and form the bottom rung of the ocean food chain.
• During El Nino years the upwelling stops which results in significantly less phytoplankton. The reduced levels of phytoplankton means each level higher up on the food chain will have insufficient food.

How El Nino changes might affect the food chain/production in Florida:

• While El Nino has a significant negative affect on the fishing industry along the west coast of South America, it does not have a significant impact on fishing in Florida. El Nino is an event in the Pacific ocean not the Atlantic. However it may affect imports of certain fish and fish products raising prices due to decreased catch
• El Nino does affect our winter crops in Florida with increased rainfall and reduced sun. Increased rain might delay planting or increase diseases. Different varieties may need to be planted or different planting techniques used. El Nino even affects cattle raised in Florida, as pasture area is less productive.

That’s the theme for science this year. Somehow I hope to rekindle the child-like wonder and amazement at the world which surrounds us. Throughout the year I’ll encourage you to wonder — “I wonder why this happens” “I wonder how this works” “I wonder what would happen if”. Then we’ll build the skills to answer those questions.

As I’m writing this and finishing up a re-design of the class website, I wonder what our first week will be like. Currently tropical storm Fay is off the coast of Cuba and computer models predict its path to include Central Florida. Right now classes on Tuesday and Wednesday are questionable. So if there is no school does the learning stop?

• I wonder if tropical storm Fay will turn into a hurricane.
• I wonder what affects the paths of storms.
• I wonder how computers predict the path.
• I wonder what causes storms to strengthen.
• I wonder what you wonder.

Leave me a comment, just click “response” below.