Catchy song about ocean currents anyone? Yeah, maybe this isn't for you, but sometimes lyrics get stuck in your head (that can be a good thing once in a while).
And while we're at it, here's another catchy song about air masses.
After building our weather instruments, we talked a bit about heat transfer and how it moves: Convection, Conduction and Radiation. Convection is important when it comes to weather and air masses because air is a fluid. When air masses meet, there is usually some sort of weather at the boundary, or front.
Pressure is also a key player with our weather. High pressure air masses are heavy and dry (Happy weather). High pressure wants to move towards low pressure areas. Low pressure air masses are light and humid (Lousy weather).
We also have started to talk about how the ocean can affect costal regions. In the summer, it acts like a big heat sponge keeping costal cities cooler. In the winter, it will release all that heat and keep costal cities warmer. You could also think of it as a battery being charged in the summer and releasing energy in the winter.
We've moved forward in our Earth and Space Science unit and are now studying Weather. Students build simple instruments to measure different aspects of weather! Rain gagues, anemometers, baromters, and wind vanes. We haven't been able to put them to the test much, but we'll get a rainy or windy day soon.
We also have begun to learn about air masses and their characterisitcs, and will be learning about how fronts develop and move around the globe.
Happy Autumnal Equinox! It's always great when something we're learning about happens in the world. Enjoy the daylight while it lasts because we'll be getting less and less until the December Solstice.
Also, don't miss the upcoming lunar eclipse with the Blood Moon. Another event that we've been reviewing in our science + class. We should be able to see it well on the east coast, if the clouds cooperate.
