FOSS: Weather and Water Investigation 9 Weather and Climate FOSS: Weather and Water Investigation 9 Total time: 40 minutes Weather & Climate Weather & Climate

Today’s Discussion What is the difference between weather and climate? Students may have heard the term “climate” before used to describe the average weather condition of a location, but they may not understand that climate is the average weather over a long period of time. You may point out the pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, CA) – the one on the left shows a clear, sunny day, while the second shows a rainstorm. The weather in these two photographs is different, but San Francisco always remains in the same climate. Today we will discuss different climate regions across the world, with the goal for the students to learn that climate stays stable across a long period of time, whereas weather is highly variable and can change very quickly. Climate takes into consideration all types of weather in a location. It is based on averages over a long period of time. Weather & Climate Weather & Climate

Review: Weather What is weather? How often can it change? Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at a given time in a given place, and can change very quickly, and very often! Students learned in Investigation 1 that weather is the condition of the atmosphere at a given time in a given place. This can change as quickly as hour by hour (e.g., if a thunderstorm brews on an otherwise sunny day) and day by day. Students might also bring up that it can be very cold in the wintertime, and very hot in the summertime – seasons are a good example of how weather can change dramatically in the same location. Weather & Climate Weather & Climate

Climate While a single location’s weather can change very frequently, it is assigned to one climate region. Climate is the average weather condition over a long time (thirty years or longer). With your teammates, today you will discuss various climate regions around the world. Weather & Climate Weather & Climate

This is an example of climate classification This is an example of climate classification. Each color indicates a different climate zone. Students do not have to study this; it is just a visual aid to help them understand that locations around the world are all classified into specific climate zones. Weather & Climate Weather & Climate

Group Work: Climate Regions You and your partner(s) will be assigned to complete two worksheets on two different climate regions. Each group will then present their findings to the class, and we will compare and contrast different climate regions around the world. The Climate Regions database is available on CD-ROM or on FOSSWeb. We have provided ten tables that correspond to the ten regions covered in the database. Please divide the class into small groups and distribute two tables to each group. Give them about 20 minutes to complete the tables for their assigned regions. Weather & Climate Weather & Climate

Climate Regions: Land Surfaces Tropical Rain Forest Taiga Deciduous Forest Grassland Tundra Polar Ice Cap Desert Location Climate Seasons Temperature Precipitation Organisms Issues After students have completed the worksheets for their two regions, the summary charts can be distributed and completed while each group presents their findings from the two regions they focused on. Weather & Climate Weather & Climate

Climate Regions: Oceans Polar Ocean Temperate Ocean Tropical Ocean Location Temperature Organisms Issues Students complete the summary charts while each group presents their findings from the two regions they focused on. Weather & Climate Weather & Climate

Weather vs. Climate: Discussion City Latitude Longitude Average high Temperature (°F) (January) Average high Temperature (°F) (June) Climate Region Baghdad, Iraq 33° North 44° East 60° 106° Desert Lima, Peru 12° South 77° West 78° 67° Phoenix, AZ USA 112° West 104° Pittsburgh, PA USA 40° North 80° West 37° 80° Deciduous forest Sydney, Australia 33° South 151° East 79° 62° What is the difference between weather and climate? Can cities have similar weather but different climates? Can cities have different weather but similar climates? One of the main discussion points for this slide is to bring back the idea of weather and how it can change within a place (you can point out that average temperatures can be different in January and/or June), but that climate is measured over a long period of time, so places can all be in the desert despite having different local weather during January or June. Weather & Climate Weather & Climate