Taking the Pulse of our Changing Planet
A public lecture and professional development series at Liberty Science Center
Pulse Activity Guide
Stormin' and Warmin': Weather and Changing Climate in New Jersey
Hurricane: a name derived from the Caribbean God of Evil, Hurican. A term used to describe the sudden fury and unpredictable behavior of spiraling masses of thunderstorms, high seas, and devastating winds that have been a nemesis to sailors and coastal zone inhabitants for centuries.
When seen by satellite sensors thousands of miles above the Earth, the uniqueness and power of these storms is apparent.
Since the loss of colonial settlers traveling to the New World, to more recent loss of a life and property in 2005 with hurricane Katrina, history teaches us that accurate forecasting and a fundamental awareness of tropical cyclones are critical to the safety of human life along the coast. It is critical to understand the development, structure, life cycle, and motion of tropical cyclones to improve our understanding and prediction of these powerful storms.
Let’s take a look at how we might introduce the concepts behind coastal storms such as hurricanes in a K-12 classroom.
Guiding Questions
- Where does this information fit in our curriculum?
- What resources are available?
- How can we integrate this information seamlessly into our current curriculum?
Lesson Carousel
The following activities are designed to follow the scope and sequence for Ocean Literacy Principle #3: The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate, as developed by the Ocean Literacy Network.
When planning activities on NJ Weather & Climate, two great places to start include the Office of the NJ State Climatologist and the NJ Weather & Climate Network.
Grades K-2
Evaporation
Condensation & Clouds
- AIMS Lessons on making clouds in the classroom
- Make a cloud in a bottle
- Internet web quest lesson on how clouds form
- Narrated animation of the water cycle
Ocean Driven Weather
Grades 3-5
Heat Capacity & Weather
- Lesson and animations that demonstrate the transfer of energy from Earth’s surface to the atmosphere
- Exploring Heat Capacity: the differential heating/cooling of water and land
- Sea Breeze Activity
Evaporation & the Water Cycle
- Demonstrating the Water Cycle
- CIESE Online collaborative project on weather
- Scholastic interactive weather maker - Using this cool interactive, you can toggle global temperature and humidity differences to see their effects on regional weather.
- NASA collaborative cloud observation project - Students can observe and report local cloud coverage to help validate satellite observations from the CERES instrument.
Severe Storms & Hurricanes
Grades 6-8
Storms and Hurricanes
- Interactive lesson demonstrating how pressure systems affect hurricane tracks
- A list of real-time data sites to view active hurricanes and predict storm direction and strength
- National Geographic JASON project on Tracking Storms (free for this year)
- An animation showing how the Bermuda High affects storm tracks
- A short article on how radar was used to track storms before satellites
Global Ocean Currents
- Detailed explanation of Atmospheric Circulation
- GEMS Activity guide on Convection Currents
- GEMS Activities Guide on Density
- GEMS Activities Guide on Ocean Currents - Similar to the GEMS Density guide, but includes activities that cover the effects of salinity and temperature on density.
- An animation of the Coriolis Effect
- Movie of Coriolis Force demonstrated on a merry-go-round
- NOAA lesson to demonstrate the effects of temperature and salinity on density
The Water Cycle
Grades 9-12
Weather & Storms
- Background information on Sea Breeze formation
- An explanation of marine layer often found in California
- An activity on Mid Latitude cyclones
- Winter Storm Case Study - Students use a case study of the 1993 winter storm to construct an understanding of fronts and pressure systems
- Books on Weather
- COSEE Lesson on Hurricane Math (doc)
Storm Surge
Global Climate Change
For additional resources, you can purchase NSTA's SciGuide on the Effects of Oceans on Weather and Climate, available for $5.95. Each guide consists of approximately 100 web-accessible resources (URLs) that have been aligned to the National Science Education Standards (NSES).
