Weather, and How It Works

Earths Journey Through Space
Electromagnetism, and How It Works

Gravity, and How It Works
Great Extinctions of the Past
Great Inventions of the 20th Century
Great Moments in Space Exploration
Volcanic Eruptions, Earthquakes, and Tsunamis
Weather, and How It Works
By Randi Mehli ng
Scientific American: Weather, and How It Works
2007 by Infobase Publishing
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ISBN-10: 0-7910-9053-1
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mehling, Randi.
Weather, and how it works / Randi Mehling.
p. cm. (Scientific American)
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ISBN 0-7910-9053-1
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CHAPTER ONE
Weather: You Like It or Not 7
CHAPTER TWO
The Air We Breathe 16
CHAPTER THREE
A Hot World Under Pressure 23
CHAPTER FOUR
Its All About Water 32
CHAPTER FIVE
Windy, Wild Weather 42
CHAPTER SIX
How to Forecast the Weather 51
CHAPTER SEVEN
Is Our Climate Changing? 59
Glossary 66
Bibliography 68
Further Exploration 69
Index 70
About the Author 72
Picture Credits 72
Contents
I I I I I I I I
Weather:
You Like It or Not
Weather:
You Like It or Not
cross the flat prairies of Kansas, lightning strikes the
ground with a zigzag bolt of electricity. A few seconds
later, thunder booms. Hailstones fall from the sky, cooling off
this hot, humid summer day in mid-August. Some are as big as
golf balls and dent cars upon impact.
In the Florida Keys, it is hurricane season, and an 85-mile-per-
hour (137-kilometer) wind tears off roofs, floods streets, and
knocks down telephone poles.
In January, a blinding blizzard in northern Michigan forces all
transportation to a halt, dumping three feet of snow in some
places. Winds pile up snowdrifts that cover most parked cars.
Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, January is summer-
time in Australia, and it is a sunny Saturday in the upper eight-
ies. Thousands of people have flocked to the beach to enjoy the
beautiful weather.
What do all these scenes have in common? They describe the
weather. Since the earliest of humankinds days on the planet, we
have tried to make sense of the outdoor conditions of rain, sun,
sleet, hail, wind, and snow. It seems as if the world goes crazy
during hurricanes, tornados, and thunderous storms. There is
no escaping the weatherit affects every aspect of our lives.
CHAPTER ONE
A
I
Hurricane winds have been known to rip coconuts off palm trees and send
them flying through the air at high speeds. Thats another reason to stay
inside during a hurricane!
Every living creature on Earth depends upon the weather for
its survival. Farmers depend upon rain to grow the food we eat.
Schools close when it snows a lot, and planes cannot depart
with ice on their wings. Without water from rain and snow, life
would not exist on the planet. Sailboats use wind to travel
around the world. We even choose which clothes to wear based
on the weather. It is no wonder the most common conversation
between two people, in any country and in any language, is
about the weather and what it might do next.
Weather happens, whether we want it to or not. It is com-
pletely uncontrollable and often takes us by surprise. Do you
know of anyone who can stand outside and tell a thunderstorm
to stop raining or redirect the wind to blow somewhere else?
Because it is so vital to our everyday life, people have always
tried to understand and predict the weather. By knowing the
weather ahead of time, we can better prepare for it. We carry an
8 Weather, and How It Works
Pinecones have traditionally been used to forecast the weather. Their
shape changes depending on the moisture in the air. They open up in
dry weather and close in damp weather. The petals of the morning
glory flower act in a similar way. It has been observed that the flower
shuts its petals before rain and bad weather and opens its petals for
fine weather. Scientific evidence has proved that these are indeed reli-
able and useful weather indicators.
If morning glory flowers open their petals, it will most likely be a
sunny day.
umbrella when rain is forecast. We postpone a trip if a major
storm is brewing. Farmers might plant extra rows of crops in
anticipation of a wet growing season. Sailors might travel a dif-
ferent route to avoid a storm or to take advantage of strong sail-
ing winds.
Nature Forecasts the Weather
The first humans did not have thermometers, weather satellites,
The Weather Channel, or the Internet. Instead, the first weather
forecaster on the planet was nature. People observed the world
CAN PINECONES PREDICT THE WEATHER?
around them and noticed that nature provided many clues
about the weather. Plants and animals behaved differently
before certain weather events and so informed us of what type
of weather to expect. People predicted the weather based on
these signs from nature but never with 100% accuracy. Howev-
er, these natural patterns occurred often enough for people to
believe in them.
Passed along from generation to generation, these signs of
weather eventually become known as weather folklorewell-
known sayings that people use all the time to forecast the
weather. There are literally hundreds of these weather predic-
tions based on nature. Weather folklore relies on patterns ob-
served over a long time, not scientific measurement. However, it
is very interesting to note that scientific methods have proved
that many of these natural forecasts are true.
The weather is about as easy to predict as giving your cat a
bubble bath. Even today, with high-tech science, we cannot pre-
dict the weather with complete accuracy. Many people all over
the world choose to combine modern scientific technology with
the signs that nature provides to give them the best possible
weather forecast.
Ancient Ideas About Weather
Archaeologists, who study ancient civilizations, tell us that the
people from those timesmore than 4,000 or 5,000 years ago
believed gods were responsible for the whims of weather. A dif-
ferent god was in control of a particular aspect of the weather,
such as rain, wind, or thunder. Weather does seem magical. It is
always changing, and we know it is uncontrollable. Weather
helps us sometimes, and other times it causes us tremendous
harm. For instance, rain helps to nourish fruits, vegetables, and
grains. It provides us with water to drink. Yet, other times rain
has the power to devastate. It can be accompanied by lightning,
which can strike and kill a person. Rain can cause flash floods,
which can wash out an entire town.
Many indigenous people in the United States and throughout the world
perform rain ceremonies. In these ceremonies, people of all ages participate
in songs, dances, rituals, and prayers, just as their ancestors did hundreds or
even thousands of years ago.
In order to explain these positive and negative experiences of
nature, ancient cultures and civilizations intertwined religion
with the weather. Most thought supreme beings (in the forms of
gods and goddesses) had the power of life and death over them
and lived in fear of offending the gods. An angry god might cre-
ate a long-lasting drought, causing crops to die. People and ani-
mals would go thirsty and hungry; many would die.
These civilizations created many rituals in which ceremonial
offerings were made to please the gods. Grains and jewelry were
offered, and it was common to sacrifice animals and even, some-
times, humans. In exchange for the peoples devotion to their
gods, it was believed that they would be rewarded with bounti-
ful crops and prosperity.
The thunderbird is a very important mythical figure in Native American
cultures. Living high in the mountains, the thunderbird flaps its wings,
making the sky shake with thunder. When the thunderbird blinks or
looks down, lightning shoots out of its eyes and hits the ground. Tribes in
the Pacific Northwest have a thunderbird to protect them and often
carve its figure on the top of totem poles.
Animals, figures, and shapes are carved in a specific order on totem
poles, which can be more than 40 feet (12 m) high. The designs
shown on the totem pole above tell stories or legends about the
Indians who lived around Vancouver, Canada.
Gods of Thunder and Sky
The Incas worshipped many gods and goddesses. Each one was
connected to a type of weather. For instance, the Incas prayed to
their rain god Apu Illapu when they needed rain. They believed
he drew water from the Milky Way and then poured it down on
Earth as rain. Even in modern times, there are still many Inca
descendants living in Peru who worship the original Inca gods.
THE THUNDERBIRD
The ancient Maya believed gods controlled the natural ele-
ments of water, wind, fire, and earth. Chac is a benevolent Maya
rain god who, as the legend goes, had a frog orchestra (because
frogs are thought to be calling the rain when they croak). Today,
modern ancestors of the Maya, the people of Yucatn, Mexico,
still refer to Chac when they want it to rain.
In Norse mythology, Thor is the god of thunder and sky. Leg-
end tells how he chased away the frost. The rolling wheels of
Thors chariot rumbled like thunder, and he hurled his mighty
hammer like a lightning bolt at the frost giants. Thor is cred-
ited with the return of warm spring rains to the land.
Revealing the Mystery Behind Weather
The Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote a book around 340 B.C.
called Meteorologica. In it, he explained his ideas on such weather-
related topics as clouds, wind, lightning, snow, and climate
change from a philosophical, not a scientific, point of view.
Interestingly, Aristotles ideas on these natural forces and their
relationships to each other were thought to be true for about
2,000 years.
Toward the end of the sixteenth century, scientific instru-
ments that could measure characteristics of the weather were
invented. Because of this new scientific data, the majority of
Aristotles ideas were disproved. However, some of Aristotles
conclusions were proved correct, perhaps showing us that the
best scientific tool is an observant, analytical mind. Today we
use the word meteorology to describe the science of weather and
weather forecasting.
Several important achievements occurred during the scientific
revolution of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. These dis-
coveries shaped our knowledge of meteorology and continue to
help us understand the weather even today in the twenty-first cen-
tury. Italian architect Leon Battista Alberti invented the first
mechanical wind vane in 1450. This gave us the ability to tell the
direction of the wind. Galileo Galilei invented the thermometer
Evangelista Torricelli built the first mercury barometer in 1644. Also known
as Torricellis Tube, this invention allowed scientists to measure the pressure
of the atmosphere.
around 1593, allowing the measurement of temperatures. Evange-
lista Torricellis barometer was invented in 1643 and measured
the weight of airalso known as air pressure. Because of these
scientific inventions, we now know that changes in temperature
and air pressure create the wind that powers our weather.
Instruments that measured meteorological data continued to
develop during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Scien-
tists soon learned that different locations around the world
experienced different types of weather conditions. Yet a scientist
in Italy had to wait weeks or possibly months to get news of
weather in the United States. Even within the United States, it
took a long time to share this exciting weather information.
The widespread use of the telegraph by 1843 changed that. No
matter where researchers were living, the weather happening
right then and there was recorded and transmitted to a central
location. The telegraph allowed scientists to create the first
weather maps of the entire world. For the first time, scientists
could track how the weather on one side of the world affected
weather around the globe.
Today, meteorological scientists know that weather is a mix-
ture of the air we breathe, the Suns energy, the rotation of
Earth, and the movement of water and wind. Technologies such
as Doppler radar and satellites assist meteorologists as they con-
tinue to unravel the deep mysteries of the weather.
Thomas Jefferson, the main author of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence and the third U. S. president, was also one of our nations first
weathermen. For more than 40 years, Jefferson maintained an almost
unbroken record of weather observations. He did this wherever he
was in the United States as well as on visits to France. Today, more
than 11,000 volunteer weather observers send local weather informa-
tion to the National Weather Service as part of the Cooperative
Observer Program.
FOUNDING FATHER OR WEATHERMAN?
The Air We Breathe
The Air We Breathe
ake a deep breath. The air you breathe makes up the weath-
er. The term weather describes what the air is doing in any
particular time and place. For instance, the air can be warm,
cold, wet, dry, calm, or windy, depending upon where you are in
the world.
The climate describes the typical weather of a geographic
area on Earth. For example, the climate in Antarctica is very
cold, whereas in the tropics, such as Tahiti, the climate is very
hot. We know these climates are typical because the weather
patterns there have not changed for a long, long time. Climate
can be very different, even if two regions are close in distance. It
could be snowing on top of a mountain, and in the valley below
it could be raining.
We feel the sensation of the air on our skin each day and
choose our clothes to either stay warm or cool. However, where
does air come from? We know we need oxygen to breathe, but
what else is air made of? Lets begin at the beginningthe birth
of our planet.
CHAPTER TWO
I
T
As viewed from space, a protective layer of atmosphere surrounds our
planet Earth.
Its a Gas
About 4.5 billion years ago, the planets in the solar system
formed from the dust and gas that surrounded the Sun. The two
most abundant elements in the universe are helium and hydro-
gen. These gases cloaked the newly formed planets like a protec-
tive blanket. This is called an atmosphere. However, Earths
gravity was not strong enough to hold onto this new atmos-
phere, and these gases floated back into space. The other plan-
ets that orbited close to the SunVenus, Mars, and Mercury
could not retain their atmospheres either.
Then something amazing happened on Earth. Our planet cre-
ated its own atmosphere. At its center, Earth was extremely hot
and unstable. All over the world, gigantic volcanic eruptions
ripped through the surface of the planet, bringing elements
from its core to the surface. Water, carbon dioxide, methane, sul-
This specially-photographed image shows pollution over New York City.
Scientists have linked increases in childhood asthma to air pollution.
fur, and nitrogen filled the empty space around Earth. This time
the atmosphere stayed put. Earths gravity was strong enough to
hold these gases to the planet.
Our air was born. There was just one thing missing: oxygen.
Nothing alive today would be able to breathe this toxic brew of
steam, sulfurous clouds, and carbon dioxide. The whole world
probably smelled like a rotten egg (which releases sulfur).
Luckily, life did evolve under these circumstances. About one
billion years ago, plants began to photosynthesize. They released
oxygen into the atmosphere. Ozone (three oxygen atoms) formed
from oxygen gas (two oxygen atoms) and floated about 10 to 20
miles up in the sky. This ozone layer absorbed the intense
ultraviolet (UV) rays from the Sun, protecting the plant life.
Plants flourished, and more oxygen went into the atmosphere
surrounding the planet. Eventually there was enough oxygen to
support oxygen-breathing animals such as dinosaurs and mam-
mals, including humans.
The Protective ShieldOur Atmosphere
The main ingredient in our air is nitrogen (about 78%). Oxygen
makes up the next biggest portion, forming about 21%. The
remaining 1% of our atmosphere contains trace amounts of other
gases, including carbon dioxide, hydrogen, argon, helium, neon,
krypton, xenon, and water vaporwater in its gaseous form.
These gases constantly mix and swirl together to form our air,
which sustains all life on Earth. The atmosphere is made up of
Tie a piece of string in the middle of a stick so that it balances when
you hold the string. Tie an empty balloon to each end of the stick. The
two balloons should balance evenly. Now, untie one balloon and blow
air into it. Tie the blown-up balloon back onto one end of the stick.
The end with the blown-up balloon should dip downward. The bal-
loon filled with air is heavier than the empty one.
TESTING THE WEIGHT OF AIR
five layers, like blankets piled on top of each other. The blanket
closest to Earth is the heaviest and contains the most air. As you
move higher into the sky, the blankets get lighter and lighter.
This is because the higher you go, the less air there is.
The layers act like a protective shield. They maintain a com-
fortable temperature on Earth. Without an atmosphere, we
would be burnt to a crisp by the powerful heat of the Sun dur-
ing the day or freeze to death during the cold night.
Ozone, carbon dioxide, and water make up only a tiny portion
of our air, less than 1%. However, they have very important jobs:
The Sun is the largest
object in the solar sys-
tem.
More than one million
Earths can fit inside the
Sun.
The Sun is approxi-
mately 4.5 billion years
old and is roughly half
way through its life-
span, estimated at 10
billion years.
Scientists predict that
in about 4 to 5 billion
years, the Sun will
begin to run out of its
hydrogen fuel and swell
up to 100 times its
present size.
When the Sun expands,
scientists theorize that
the inner planets,
including Earth, will be
engulfed and destroyed.
SUNNY FACTS
Even though the Sun is 93 million miles
(150 million km) from Earth, it powers
our world with infrared light. This ener-
gy is absorbed in the troposphere and
provides us with most of our heat.
they all protect life on Earth. The ozone layer in our atmosphere
acts like a filter. It blocks the Suns harmful UV rays 20 miles (32
km) above our heads. Without the ozone layer to protect us, the
UV rays would be too intense for life to survive. Carbon dioxide
provides food for plant photosynthesis. Water, with assistance
from the Sun, provides us with all the different types of weath-
er we have here on Earth, such as clouds, rain, and snow.
Layers of the Atmosphere
Remember that the layers of the atmosphere are held around the
planet by the force of gravity. The layer of air closest to the
ground is called the troposphere. It extends about 7 miles (11
km) up from the ground. All weather happens in this layer
because it contains most of the water vapor in the air. Most
clouds form in this layer.
In general, as you move higher into the sky, each layer of the
atmosphere gets progressively colder. This is because Earth
absorbs the heat from the Sun faster than the air does. It makes
sense that the troposphere is the warmest layer of the atmos-
phere. It is the layer closest to Earth. The higher you go in the
sky, or the greater your altitude, the colder it gets.
The second layer of air above Earths surface is the strato-
sphere, which extends from about 7 to 31 miles (1150 km) in
the sky. Ozone is found in the stratosphere. Because ozone
absorbs high-energy UV rays from the Sun, this layer is actually
warmer than the troposphere. The presence of ozone creates a
Many universities and private research facilities contribute to the sci-
ence of meteorology. In 1949, for example, a meteorologist named
Duncan Blanchard worked for the General Electric Research Labor-
atory in New York. He discovered how to photograph raindrops and
showed that they are not shaped like tears after all. In fact, small rain-
drops are round, and large ones are shaped like hamburger buns.
RAINDROP PHOTOGRAPHY
special exception to the rule that it gets colder as you move
higher into the sky.
The mesosphere is the third layer of atmosphere above the
ground. The air here is very cold, and temperatures can average
100F (73C). The altitude of this layer is between about 31
and 50 miles (50 and 80 km) up in the sky. The higher you trav-
el, the less air there is. Scientists say the air thins as you travel
up toward space.
The fourth and fifth layers of the atmosphere are found at
very high altitudes. The thermosphere is about 50 miles (80 km)
above Earth. Astronauts and space shuttles travel in this layer of
the atmosphere. Once you are up beyond 300 miles (480 km),
you are in the fifth layer, the exosphere. Weather satellites are
located in this layer. The upper limit of Earths atmosphere is
about 6,200 miles (10,000 km) in the sky. At this point, there is
hardly any air left. What little air remains in the exosphere layer
escapes Earths gravity and floats into space.
Clouds form in the troposphere, where airlines fly. A balloon floats above in
the stratosphere; meteor showers (lower center) occur in the mesosphere. The
space shuttle and aurora lights are above in the thermosphere. Different kinds
of electromagnetic radiation (left to right) penetrate the atmosphere: gamma
rays, X-rays, ultraviolet rays, a rainbow of visible light, and radiowaves.
he gases that make up our air are constantly moving, mixing,
and churning in every direction, like soup simmering in a
pot. They get their energy from the Sun. Sunlight warms the tem-
perature of the air above Earth and sets these gases in motion.
However, there is more to the story. Earth rotates every 24
hours on its axis. This spinning of the planet also contributes
greatly to the movement of air. The movements of air create all
the different types of weather we know, including wind, rain,
and sunny days. Lets explore how air moves.
Gravity Keeps Us Grounded
Gravity is the force that pulls everything toward the ground.
Humans, dogs, trees, buildings, clouds, and the gases in our
atmosphere are all held to the earth because of gravity. Without
this invisible hold on us, we would be weightless and drift above
the ground. The planet would have no atmosphere because the
gases would just drift out to space.
Gravity gives everything a certain weight. The weight of your
body puts pressure on loose dirt and leaves a footprint. The
A Hot World
Under Pressure
A Hot World
Under Pressure
CHAPTER THREE
I
T
more you weigh, the more you push on the ground and the
deeper the footprint you leave.
Air also presses down on Earths surface because it has a cer-
tain weight. Its weight is known as air pressure. Air pressure is
always changing. It weighs more in some geographic areas,
called high-pressure regions, and less in other places, called
low-pressure regions. A barometer is one tool used to measure
the weight of air.
Air travels like water in a river. It naturally flows from areas
of high pressure to areas of low pressure. The difference
between high- and low-pressure areas is one of the main rea-
sons we have any weather at all. Still, how exactly does air put
pressure on us?
The Highs and Lows of Pressure
Although we are not aware of it, the gases in our atmosphere are
made of trillions of molecules bouncing around, bumping and
pushing into each other. For example, oxygen is a molecule.
Nitrogen is a molecule. Carbon dioxide is a molecule. These air
molecules are constantly moving up, down, sideways, and diag-
onallylike ping-pong balls in a clothes dryer.
If you were an air molecule, you might feel like you were
being pelted with snowballs your whole life. Each time another
molecule crashed into you, you would feel its impact on your
body. Scientists gauge the pressure of air by measuring the num-
ber of these impacts.
Take the balloon that was full of air from the experiment you did in
Chapter Two. When you filled the balloon with air, the increasing air
pressure expanded the sides of the balloon. The air pressure inside it
is high. Now, untie the balloon, and let the air out. What happens? The
air immediately flows from inside the balloon to outside the balloon,
where the air pressure is lower.
TESTING AIR FLOW
Wind turbines harness the power of the wind instead of fossil fuels to gen-
erate electricity. A wind farm is a bunch of wind turbines in one location.
A barometer measures changes in atmospheric pressure and is used to
forecast the weather.
The more air there is, the more air weighs, just as the more of
you there is, the more you weigh. The more air weighs, the more
impacts there are. This all means higher air pressure. Less air
means there will be less frequent impacts. Therefore, the air
pressure is lower since the air weighs less. Air pressure is the
weight of all the air molecules pushing down on the ground.
Let us now see how we can personally tell how much air
weighs, without using any scientific instruments or training.
The Weight of the World
The weight of air is the heaviest at the surface of our planet
because most of our air is located there. Scientists measure the
weight of air on the surface at 14.7 pounds (6.7 kg) per square
Mount Everest rises more than 29,000 feet (8,849 m) above sea level. The
farther away you are from sea level, the less air there is. At the top there is
only one third of the amount of oxygen found at its base, so most climbers
need an extra supply of oxygen to reach the summit.
inch. This means that the amount of air molecules pressing
down on one square inch weighs 14.7 pounds. It is like an invis-
ible hand pressing down on everything and everyone.
You dont notice this pressure until you move to a higher alti-
tude. Air pressure becomes lighter and lighter the higher you go
because air thinsthere are fewer air moleculesas the altitude
increases. If you hike up to the top of a mountain, there is less
air there than on the ground. This includes oxygen, a major part
of air. So, the higher you climb, the harder it is to breathe.
At 18,000 feet (5,486 m) above the ground, there is much less
air pushing down. Because there is less air pushing down, there
In 1714, Gabriel Daniel
Fahrenheit improved upon
Galileos earlier design (a
water thermometer) by
constructing a mercury
thermometer. The Fahren-
heit scale was the first reli-
able way of measuring
temperature.Water freezes
just below 32 degrees
Fahrenheit, it melts just
above 32 degrees, and it
boils at 212 degrees. Here
in the United States, we still
measure temperature in
degrees Fahrenheit. How-
ever, the worldwide scien-
tific community uses the
Celsius scale to measure
temperature.
In 1742, the Swedish
astronomer Anders Cel-
sius proposed a new scale
for thermometers. Anoth-
er scientist named Jean-
Pierre Christin made addi-
tional improvements to
the Celsius scale in 1743. Water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius, and it
boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
CONVERSION OF FAHRENHEIT AND CELSIUS
To convert from F (degrees Fahrenheit) to C (degrees Celsius): Take
the temperature in Fahrenheit, and subtract 32 from it. Then, multiply
that number by 5 and divide it by 9.
To convert from C to F: Take the temperature in Celsius and multi-
ply it by 9. Then, divide that number by 5 and add 32 to it.
In 1742, Anders Celsius was credited
with inventing the Celsius temperature
scale, which measures the freezing
point of water at 0 and its boiling
point at 100. On the Fahrenheit tem-
perature scale, water freezes at 32 and
boils at 212.
MR. FAHRENHEIT AND MR. CELSIUS
is less weight, or air pressure, as well. The air at this altitude is
measured at 7.3 pounds (3.3 kg) per square inch. That is almost
half the weight of air measured at the surface! At this altitude,
about half of all our atmospheres air molecules are below you
and about half are above you. Mountain climbers can feel light-
headed, dizzy, and nauseous at these high altitudes. They often
wear masks connected to oxygen tanks to help them breathe.
This allows them to avoid the symptoms of what is known as alti-
tude sickness.
As you fly up through the five layers of the atmosphere, the
air pressure eventually becomes zero. There is no longer any air
left to exert any downward pressure.
The Sun Moves the Air
How air moves is a whole other story. Weather is created by
changes in air pressure and temperature. The temperature gets
the whole process started.
Earth takes 365
1
4 daysone yearto orbit the Sun. Because Earth is tilted
during its orbit, each area receives different amounts of the Suns energy at
different times of the year. This is why we have seasons.
The Suns rays go through the atmosphere and hit Earths sur-
face. This energy heats the land and the oceans. As the surface
warms up, heat rises and warms the air right above the surface. The
hotter the air gets, the faster the molecules bounce around. The
faster the warming air moves, the more its air pressure increases.
As the air along the ground warms from the Sun, the air above
it remains cool. This cooler air also moves more slowly than
warm air. Because the cold air is found higher in the sky than
warm air, and because it moves more slowly than warm air, cool-
er air has a lower air pressure than warmer air.
Since air flows from high to low pressure, the warm air rises
toward the cold air. Warm air is lighter than cold air. Like a bal-
loon, it rises higher and higher. Warm air gets colder as it rises.
At the same time, cold air sinks because it is heavier than
warm air. As it sinks closer to the ground, the cold air begins to
warm up. Directly above the ground the cold air is now com-
pletely warmed by the heat of Earths surface. It begins to rise
toward the cooler air. The air continues to trade places in an
endless cycle of circulation around the whole world.
Balancing Act
Yet, Earth does not heat up evenly. Some areas of the world, like
the tropics (near the equator), are much hotter all year round
than, say, the extremely cold areas near the North and South
Earths position in relation to the Sun is always changing. The planet
spins around its axis, an imaginary line that runs between the North
and South Poles. One complete spin takes 24 hours. This is why half
of Earth is lit and warm (daytime), while the other half faces away from
the Sun (nighttime). At the North Pole the Sun doesnt set at all in the
weeks surrounding June 21 (the Summer Solstice), whereas the South
Pole lies in continual darkness. The reverse is true in the weeks sur-
rounding the Winter Solstice (December 21).
NIGHT AND DAY
poles. Because Earth rotates, the warm air and the cold air are
stirred up. This continuous movement of warm and cold air is
like a giant fan. It transfers heat from hot areas of the world to
cold areas. This worldwide air circulation helps Earth keep its
temperature in balance.
However, there are vast temperature differences between the
equator and the North and South poles. Air circulation cannot
balance these extreme temperatures. It never completely cools
down in the tropics, and the poles never warm up. Therefore,
the tropics always have a surplus of heat, and the poles always
have a surplus of cold.
These temperature differences between the equator and the
North and South poles are the reason we have weather. They are
the reason the air in the atmosphere will always be flowing from
high to low pressure. The hot air over the equator rises toward
the poles, replacing the cooler polar air. This cooler air sinks
toward the ground, flowing toward the equator. In doing so,
these air movementsalso known as windshelp create the
worlds weather.
loods, thunderstorms, clouds, rivers, lakes, swimming pools,
snowballs, puddles, baths, ice cubes, and hot tea. What do
they all have in common? Water.
Water takes up less than 1% of the atmosphere. Yet, without
water, nothing could live on the planet. If water did not exist,
there would be no swimming, fishing, or snowboarding. Plus,
regular bathing would be difficult.
The Water Cycle
Oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams cover about 70% of Earth. The
amount of water on Earth is finitethe amount never changes.
However, the amount of water on Earth is always being recycled
and changing what it looks like. Water can take on three different
forms, depending on how hot or cold it is. When the temperature
is above 32F (0C), water is a liquid. When it is colder than 32F,
water becomes block ice. When you boil liquid water, it becomes
a gas called water vapor. This is also called steam.
As it changes through each of its three forms, water moves up
into the sky and back down to the ground in a never-ending
cycle called the water cycle. It is also known as the hydrologic
cycle. Hydro means water.
It's All About Water
It's All About Water
CHAPTER FOUR
I
F
Water is redistributed in a continuous cycle: evaporating from the ocean
and the land and falling as precipitation; and flowing from the land to the
ocean in rivers and streams.
Evaporation and Condensation
It takes a lot of energy to constantly change from a gas to a liq-
uid to a solid. Sunshine provides this energy. The Suns rays heat
the oceans, lakes, and other bodies of water on the surface. As the
water heats up, the liquid water becomes warm water vapor and
forms part of the air. This process is called evaporation. We
know how warm air movesit rises into the sky. The amount of
water vapor in the air is called humidity. Without knowing it, we
are surrounded by water all the time in the air we breathe.
As the warm air rises, it begins to cool off the higher it goes.
As the air becomes colder, the water vapor changes into drops of
liquid. When lots of these drops accumulate, they form clouds,
Have you ever had to scrape frost off the windshield of a car? Frost
forms when water vapor freezes into icy crystals on cold surfaces
such as windows and trees. Dew is water vapor that condenses into
drops of moisture during the cool night. You can see these dew drops
on leaves, plants, and spider webs.
As the temperature drops, the moisture in the air condenses into
dew. When the temperature reaches 32F (0C) this dew freezes
into what we call frost.
mist, and fog. This is called condensation. Clouds are made
up of billions of tiny water droplets. If it is cold enough, the
water vapor condenses into ice. Clouds can also be made of ice
crystals along with water droplets. Fog and mist are clouds that
form near the ground instead of in the sky.
Water droplets can only condense when there is dust, smoke,
or other tiny particles in the air. These particles are called con-
densation nuclei. They give the water vapor something to cling
to in order to become a droplet. When there is a lot of pollution,
DO YOU KNOW ABOUT FROST?
Sunlight looks white, but its
really made up of different
colors: red, orange, yellow,
green, blue, indigo, and vio-
let. The colors of a rainbow
are always in the same or-
der.The Sun makes rainbows
when white sunlight passes
through raindrops. To see a
rainbow, the Sun must be
shining behind you as you
look toward the falling rain.
A popular way to remem-
ber the order of the colors
of the rainbow is: ROY G.
BIV. The letters stand for
red, orange, yellow, green,
blue, indigo, and violet.
there are more particles in the air, and therefore more clouds are
able to form.
Water from the Sky
Without clouds, it would not rain. The tiny water droplets keep
condensing, and they grow larger and larger within the clouds.
When the water droplets are big enough, the clouds cannot con-
tain them. They fall to the ground as rain, snow, or ice, depend-
ing on the temperature of the air below the clouds. Any type of
water that falls from the sky is called precipitation. Preci-
pitation is usually absorbed into the ground or falls into rivers
and oceans.
COLORFUL RAINBOWS
Each snowflake
is made of two
to about two
hundred sepa-
rate crystals.
As the Sun heats the surface waters of the planet, water evap-
orates. This process of evaporationand the water cyclecon-
tinues indefinitely.
Rain and Snow
The two most common types of precipitation are rain and snow.
Rain can fall fast and furiously or light and gently. A drizzle is
made of very fine raindrops. Sometimes streets flood and river-
banks overflow when heavy rainstorms dump large amounts of
water on the ground in a short time. The monsoon season in
Asia is famous for this. Countries like India are soaked by rains for
six months of the year and are dry for the rest of the time. The
people of this country are used to this weather pattern.
Snow is ice that falls from the sky. A snowflake forms when
water vapor turns directly from a gas into ice without going
through the liquid stage. This means the air in the cloud is
below freezing. The tiny ice crystals stick together, just like a
water droplet, until they are heavy enough to drop out of the
cloud. However, as the snow falls through the air toward the
ground, the air might be warmer than it was in the cloud. Then,
the snow turns to rain before it hits the ground. If the air stays
close to freezing, the snowflakes will not melt. It is common to
see snow on top of a mountain, where the air is colder, while it
is raining in the warmer valley below.
Hail and Sleet
When strong winds toss raindrops high inside clouds, they
freeze into balls of ice called hail. These chunks of ice are flung
up and down inside the cloud. Layers of ice build up and form
a rounded hailstone. The largest hailstone on record in the Unit-
ed States had a diameter of 7 inches (18 cm) and weighed one
pound (.5 kg). It was about the size of a cantaloupe melon and
sped more than 100 miles (161 km) per hour as it fell from the
sky. The heaviest hailstone in the United States was about 5.5
inches (14 cm) in diameter and weighed 1.67 pounds (.76 kg).
The heaviest hailstone ever reported was in India and weighed
2.2 pounds (1.0 kg). Hail can be dangerous and cause crop and
even building damage. Hailstones look like stones and feel like
stones if they hit you on the head!
Sleet is falling ice that is smaller and wetter than hailstones. It
feels like slushwater that is half liquid and half ice.
Clouds
Clouds can tell what the days weather holds in store for you,
based on their shape and size. There are three main types of
clouds floating in the sky: cirrus, cumulus, and stratus.
Snow takes up about 10 times the space as rain. Because it takes up
so much space, snow piles up quickly on the ground. You can test this:
Collect some snow in a glass and mark its level. After it melts, mark
the level of water in the glass. (By the way, it takes about one million
cloud droplets to provide enough water for one raindrop.)
SNOW AND RAIN ARE NOT THE SAME
Cumulus clouds are puffy and
usually mean fair weather.
They have flat bottoms and
hang low in the sky.
Cirrus clouds are thin, feathery, white,
and wispy. Because they form high in the
sky where it is very cold, they are made
of ice crystals, not water droplets.
Cirrus clouds look feathery and wispy, and cirrus literally
means curl in Latin. They form high in the sky where it is very
cold, at around 18,000 to 40,000 feet (5,48612,192 m). Because
of this, they are made of ice crystals, not water droplets. The
wind is responsible for blowing cirrus clouds into curls. These
clouds are often called mares tails because they look like the
tail of a horse. Cirrus clouds often signal bad weather.
Those puffy clouds that look like cotton balls or cauliflower
floating in the sky are called cumulus clouds. They form much
lowerapproximately 2,000 to 6,000 feet (6101,829 m) above
the ground. Cumulus clouds are made of tiny water droplets and
are usually seen in fine weather against a blue sky.
If you see a wide sheet of gray, shapeless clouds very close to
the ground, it is probably a stratus cloud. These clouds stretch in
all directions and are often dark and gloomy. Light, misty rain
and drizzle typically fall from stratus clouds. Fog is a type of stra-
tus cloud.
Harmless cumulus clouds can quickly develop into large towering cumulo-
nimbus clouds, which are associated with powerful thunderstorms.
Clouds also determine how hot or cold you feel. Clouds act as
insulators. They prevent the flow of heat, so a hot day will feel
even hotter if its cloudy. A cloudy nighttime sky will also hold
the heat of the day closer to the ground, so that the evening
feels warmer. Conversely, a nighttime sky without any clouds
will generally feel very chilly. There is nothing to keep the heat
close to Earths surface during the cold, sunless night.
Rain Clouds Predict Stormy Weather
Dont be fooled by sweet, fluffy cumulus clouds. Sometimes the
sight of these clouds tells us the weather will be nice. Under cer-
tain weather conditions, though, cumulus clouds will group
together and become rain clouds called cumulonimbus clouds.
Nimbus means rainstorm in Latin.
Cumulonimbus clouds are distinctively larger and darker than
cumulus clouds. They look gray or black. This is because they are
so full of water and ice crystals that sunlight cannot shine
through them. They have the same puffy characteristics as
cumulus clouds. However, cumulonimbus clouds build higher
and more vertically into the sky-like towers. They often have flat
tops, like a blacksmiths anvil. Some of these clouds measure
more than 9 miles high (14 km)taller than Mount Everest.
Cumulonimbus clouds usually bring rain, hail, and thunder
with them. When you see these clouds, you can be sure of the
weather forecast. They can become so large and powerful that they
can dump as much as 3 feet (almost 1 m) of rain in one afternoon.
Thunderstorms and Forks of Lightning
When you notice a cumulus cloud change from a round shape
to a rising tower, be warned. A thunderstorm is likely on its
way. Thunderstorms often occur at the end of hot, sticky sum-
mer days. This is because the warm, moist air rises very quickly
to form large cumulonimbus clouds. It is very windy inside
these tall clouds. The water and ice in a cumulonimbus cloud
bang against each other, and electricity builds up. Eventually the
cloud releases this electricity as a flash of lightning.
Lightning always takes the quickest route to the ground, usu-
ally striking the tallest object around, such as a tree or building.
This is why it is important to get to lower ground if you are hik-
ing on a mountaintop. You do not want to be the tallest object
around in a thunderstorm, and you do not want to be standing
near the tallest tree either!
Count the number of seconds between seeing a flash of lightning and
hearing the thunder. For every 5 seconds you count, the storm is about
1 mile (1.6 km) away from you. If the thunderstorm is close, the thun-
der will sound like a loud crack. A low, rumbling thunder means the
storm is farther away. The closer the storm, the faster you should seek
shelter from it!
HOW FAR AWAY IS THAT THUNDERSTORM?
Thunder and light-
ning actually happen
at the same time.
However, since light
travels much faster
than sound, we see
lightning before we
hear thunder.
As lightning strikes the ground, it heats the air around it. This
has been measured at around five times the heat of the Sun,
about 55,000F (30,538C). When the air gets this hot, it sounds
like an explosion. The sound is called thunder. Thunder and
lightning happen at the same time, but we see lightning before
we hear thunder. This is because light travels at a much faster
speed than sound.
When lightning hits the ground, it is called fork lightning.
Lightning actually has two bolts. First, it zigzags to the ground
from the cloud. A split second later, the lightning races up the
exact route back to the cloud. Sheet lightning is lightning that
flashes within the cloud itself.
Windy, Wild Weather
ind is air on the move, and it often creates dramatic
weather. It can flutter your hair in a summer breeze or
slap you across the face as a blizzard blinds you with snow or
a hurricane rips the roof off your house. Strong winds can be
scary and dangerous, but they can be exciting as well. For exam-
ple, in 1999, scientists managed to put a Doppler radar inside an
Oklahoma tornado and measured the fastest recorded wind
speed of 318 miles (198 km) per hour.
Wind is described by its direction and speed. This allows mete-
orologists to track how fast and where a storm might hit in your
area. The three main forces that affect wind are high and low air
pressure, friction, and the rotation of our planet.
Pressuring Wind to Blow
Remember that Earth is heated unevenly. Warm, high-pressure
air near the equator is always rising, and cold, low-pressure air
from the North and South poles is always sinking. All air moves
from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. This move-
ment of air is the wind. A popular phrase to help you remember
this is Winds blow from high to low.
Windy, Wild Weather
CHAPTER FIVE
I
W
Friction
Compared to the ocean, the land is an obstacle course for wind.
As the wind blows over land, it has to go over or around moun-
tains, buildings, trees, and cars. These obstacles actually rub
against the wind, causing friction. The force of friction either
blocks or slows down the wind. You can notice this force when
using your feet to slow down your speed on a bike. The friction
between your feet and the roads surface is what slows your bike
down. Over the ocean, there is only flat water, no obstacles.
Winds over the oceans are much faster because of this, which is
why high-speed winds like hurricanes begin over the oceans.
Coriolis Effect
Every 24 hours, Earth rotates on its axis. Half of the planet is
heated every 12 hours, while the other half is in darkness. This
is one of the main reasons Earth is heated unevenly. These dif-
ferences in temperature create changes in air pressure that pro-
duce wind.
However, the winds do not blow in simple straight lines from
high to low pressure, flowing up and down the globe. Instead,
winds curve because our planet spins. This is called the Corio-
lis Effect. It bends every wind on Earth. Anywhere north of the
equator, called the Northern Hemisphere, the winds blow to the
right. Winds blow to the left anywhere south of the equator in
the Southern Hemisphere.
A batter in the major leagues has to watch the signs from the third-
base coach. He also must be aware of wind conditions. If a batter has
a 10-mile-per-hour (16-km) wind at his back, it will add about 30 extra
feet (9 m) to a long fly ball. However, if that same wind is blowing in
at the batter, it will shorten a fly ball by about 30 feet. Thats enough
of a difference to turn a home run into an out!
WIND MAKES A HOME RUN
The strong winds from a hurricane cause ocean waters to rise many feet
and then crash onto land in a powerful storm surge. A storm surge is often
the most dangerous part of a hurricane because it creates massive flooding
in low-lying areas. This cyclist is taking a huge risk by playing in the surf after
a hurricane.
Naming Winds
The direction of the wind is based on the direction from which
the wind is blowing. Easterly winds blow east to west. Westerly
winds blow west to east.
We can depend upon particular wind patterns to stay the same
in certain places of the world. Sailors and sea captains count on
these winds remaining constant. For example, there are steady
winds known as trade winds, named during the early days of
sailing. Ships that traded goods between different countries
knew they could get to their destination quicker when their sails
caught hold of these winds. Another unique wind pattern is the
doldrums. Sailors avoid this area north of the equator between
the two trade winds because the winds there are often very light
and calm. They can trap ships in one spot for weeks.
Sensing the Wind
There are ways you can accurately measure the direction and
speed of the wind by using simple technology and your own five
senses. For example, at airports, shipping ports, and seashores
wind socks can show the direction of the wind. Perhaps you
have seen thesethey are often a bright, day-glow orange. A
wind sock is tube shaped, with an open end and a closed end. It
is usually attached to a pole that is planted in an open area. The
wind blows into the open end of the sock, and it points the way
the wind is blowing. The wind sock also gives a general sense of
the speed of the wind. It flaps around gently in a light wind and
stands in a straight line in a strong wind.
Another easy way to tell how fast the wind is blowing without
any scientific tools is with the Beaufort scale. This scale was orig-
inally developed in 1806 by Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort and is
still used today. By studying the effects of the wind on chimney
smoke, trees, and leaves, you can estimate the speed of the wind.
A chinook is a warm wind coming from the eastern slopes of the
Rocky Mountains. Chinooks occur most often in winter and can warm
temperatures more than 100 degrees in just a few hours. Typically, tem-
perature change is around 40 degrees. Temperatures rapidly cool once
a chinook leaves.
The Black Hills of South Dakota are home to the worlds fastest
recorded rise in temperature. After a chinook wind, the temperature
there rose from 4F (20C) to 45F (7C) in about 2 minutes. Sev-
eral hours later, the chinook was gone. It took only 27 minutes for the
temperatures to drop back down to 4F.
The record for rapid temperature change in the United States is
held by Great Falls, Montana, which on January 11, 1980, went from
32F (0C) to 15 F (9C), a 47-degree warm-up, in 7 minutes. That
was because of a chinook. Chinooks are called snow eaters because
of their ability to make snow melt rapidly.
CHINOOK WINDS
The Birth of a Hurricane
During the day, land heats up quickly from the Suns energy. At
night, land also cools off quickly. The oceans are different. They
take a bit longer to warm up, but once they do, oceans tend to
stay warmer for a longer time than land does. This is the main
reason why we have hurricanes. They get their power from the
warm ocean water.
Hurricanes are tropical storms with very strong winds (over 74
miles or 119 km per hour). They form over the Atlantic Ocean
In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the southern United States with
winds reaching over 155 miles per hour (249 km). However, it was the
storm surge from this powerful hurricane that devastated parts of Louisiana,
Mississippi, and Alabama.
in tropical areas near Central Africa. As the warm ocean heats
the air above it, high winds form. These high winds cause sea
water to quickly evaporate into the air. As a result, the air con-
tains a lot of warm water vapor, which rises into the air and con-
denses into clouds. This combination of heat and water creates
huge, ferocious thunderstorms. When several thunderstorms
clump together, the Coriolis Effect begins to spin them around
as one enormous weather system.
When winds reach between 39 and 73 miles per hour (63 and
117 km), this weather system is classified as a tropical storm and
is given a name. The high winds push this whole whirling thun-
derstorm across the ocean. It gathers more and more energy from
warm, moist air and grows larger. Like the spinning of a top, the
rotation of Earth twirls the storm faster and faster. Once the trop-
ical storm reaches 74 miles per hour, a hurricane is born.
Hurricanes are given names to help identify and track them. Each hur-
ricane season, one name for each letter of the alphabet is selected
(except for Q, U, X,Y, and Z).The same lists are reused every six years.
If a hurricane is very deadly or costly, its name is retired from the
list by the World Meteorological Organization, and a new name is cho-
sen. Well-known retired hurricane names include Hugo, Andrew, and
Charley.
The year 1953 marked the first season during which storms were
named using female names. The first official name went to Hurricane
Alice. Before this time, locals in the islands frequently referred to
storms by the name of the saint whose day was closest to the occur-
rence of the storm. Storms were also often named after another cat-
astrophe. The Rising Sun Hurricane of 1700 recalls the sinking of the
Rising Sun and the 97 souls lost in the wreck. Hurricanes were also
named after places where they did greatest damage, such as the Galves-
ton Hurricane of 1900. Beginning in 1979, alternating male and female
names were assigned to new storms.
NAMING HURRICANES
Rating a Hurricanes Intensity
The intensity of a hurricane is determined by its wind speed. The
Saffir-Simpson scale uses five categories to rate a hurricane. A Cat-
egory 1 is a mild hurricane and a Category 5 is the most severe.
Under the right conditions, hurricanes can last for a few weeks,
often wreaking havoc on the East and Gulf coasts of the United
States and Mexico. Islands such as the Bahamas, Bermuda, and
the Virgin Islands often endure the effects of hurricanes.
Much of the hurricanes destruction affects people living
along the coasts. High winds create huge waves that swamp the
shoreline, washing away homes, cars, and even people. These
are called storm surges. Hurricane season begins June 1 and ends
November 30. When a hurricane reaches cooler water or land, it
loses its source of energyheatand quickly loses intensity.
This satellite photo of Hurricane Rita clearly shows the eye of this Category
5 hurricane. Hurricane Rita hit Louisiana and Texas only a month after Hur-
ricane Katrina blasted through.
Strong winds are known by different names, depending on
where they form. Hurricanes form in the Atlantic Ocean,
typhoons in the Pacific Ocean, and cyclones in the Indian Ocean.
A Twisters Path
Tornadoes also form from cumulonimbus clouds, but over land
instead of water. Some of these clouds become so massive that
they create their own wind system within the cloud itself. A tor-
nado forms when the winds inside the storm cloud start to
rotate. This gives a tornado its telltale shapea tall, whirling
funnel of air, also known as a twister. Tornadoes can be over 500
feet (152 m) wide.
Inside the funnel, air spins at enormous speeds, up to 250
miles (402 km) per hour. Tornadoes average 20 to 50 miles
(3080 km) per hour as they move along the ground. The fun-
nel acts like a giant vacuum cleaner that sucks up or destroys
everything in its path. Although tornadoes usually only last
about 15 minutes or less, they can travel several miles, destroy-
ing everything in their path. Because of their short lives, torna-
does are very hard to predict.
Tornadoes contain some of the fastest winds on Earth. They
are known for picking up all kinds of objects, such as cows, cars,
and tractor-trailers, before hurling them back to the ground.
Strangely, sometimes these objects are unharmed. There are sto-
ries of tornadoes plucking all the feathers from a chicken while
leaving the chicken alive.
The fastest wind speed ever recorded was 318 miles (512 km) per
hour. It was measured in a 1999 Oklahoma tornado. This tornado
broke the long-standing world wind record on top of Mount Washing-
ton, the highest point in New Hampshire. A surface speed of 231 miles
(372 km) per hour was recorded there in 1934.
FASTEST WIND SPEEDS EVER RECORDED
Midwestern states in the United States have the distinction of
having the highest number of destructive tornadoes in the
world. This stretch of land is known as Tornado Alley. States
such as Oklahoma, Kansas, and others in the Great Plains are
very flat. This allows cold, dry, polar air flowing down from
Canada to meet warm, moist, tropical air flowing up from the
Gulf of Mexico. Tornadoes form when these cold and warm airs
meet over Tornado Alley.
Twisters are so short-lived that they are very difficult to predict. Many
neighborhoods in Tornado Alley use sirens to warn of an approaching tor-
nado, but this only gives people a few minutes warning, if that much!
How to Forecast
the Weather
f you dont like the weather, wait five minutes. This pop-
ular saying reflects the lack of control we really have over
the weather. A basic understanding of the nature of clouds and
wind can tell you what the weather will be like over the next few
hours. With weather satellites, Doppler radar, and other sophis-
ticated tools, todays meteorologists can predict the weather
several days in advance. However, there is no such thing as fore-
casting, or predicting, the weather with 100% accuracy.
A Meteorologists Work Is Never Done
There are many jobs for a meteorologist. You probably are most
familiar with meteorologists on television. Most meteorologists
work behind the scenes. For example, some work for the Tropi-
cal Prediction Center, part of the National Hurricane Center in
Florida, tracking tropical storms and hurricanes. These meteo-
rologists give people several days warning before a hurricane
hits land. This saves many lives.
Other meteorologists develop new technology to measure and
understand the weather. They may work for the U.S. govern-
How to Forecast
the Weather
CHAPTER SIX
I
I
ment weather organization, the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Association (NOAA). The U.S. National Weather Ser-
vice is a branch of NOAA and has its main weather station in
Maryland. The NOAA has dozens of smaller stations all over the
country. These stations collect information about local climates,
among other important tasks, so that meteorologists can see
long-term trends in the weather across the country.
However, without amateur meteorologists, the National
Weather Service would not be able to understand the weather as
efficiently as they do. Thousands of amateur observers across the
country love measuring and recording the weather. They volun-
teer as part of the NOAAs Cooperative Observer Program. These
weather buffs provide valuable daily and monthly information
A wind sock tells you from which direction the wind is blowing. It also
gives you an idea of how strong the wind is. To make your own wind
sock, you will need:
sleeve from a big, old, long-sleeved shirt
wire
needle and thread
small rock or other weight
string or twine
1. Cut one sleeve off the long-sleeved shirt. Bend the wire into a circle
that is the same size as the top end of the sleeve (the end by the
shoulder). Place the wire into this end of the sleeve, and attach it
with a few stitches. This is the mouth of the wind sock.
2. Place the rock or weight on one edge of the wire. Sew it on tight to
hold it in place. Tie the string onto the side of the wire opposite the
rock.
3. Tie the other end of the string to a branch where it can move freely.
The rock will keep the wind sock facing into the wind.
4. Now your wind sock is working. Use a compass to find out from
which direction the wind is blowing.
MONITORING THE WIND
A storm chaser is a person who pursues severe thunderstorms. Chasers are
people from all walks of life, most of whom are very knowledgeable about
meteorology. Contrary to Hollywood movies, chasers keep a safe distance
of a mile or more from tornadoes.
to the NOAA on such things as rainfall, snowfall, temperatures,
and river levels. In times of threatening weather, amateur weath-
er observers have saved lives by quickly alerting the National
Weather Service about local conditions.
Tools of the Trade
No matter if they are professionals or amateurs, meteorologists
depend upon knowing the weather basics: temperature, air pres-
sure, rainfall, and wind speed and direction. The main difference
between meteorology in the 1800s and today is the level of
detail. The same basic information about weather is collected
and analyzed today as back then, but weather maps now allow
meteorologists to know in great detail what the weather is doing
and where it is doing it.
Technological inventions such as radar, satellites, and computers,
just for starters, enable meteorologists to probe ever more deeply
into this global phenomenon we experience as the weather.
The GOES-12 satellite shows Hurricane Rita swirling counter-clockwise in
the Gulf of Mexico, before making landfall on the coast.
The best weather forecaster studies global weather patterns
first, then focuses on to the entire United States, and finally looks
at the weather that is happening locally. Most storms begin
above 10,000 feet (3,048 m) and over an ocean. When a forecast-
er knows where a storm originates, she or he can track its course
and predict where the storm will go over the next few days.
Technology allows forecasters the see this big picture of
weather on a global and national scale. Doppler radar, radio-
sondes (instruments carried by weather balloons), satellites, and
computers are some of the advanced scientific instruments used
to collect this vital weather information across the entire planet.
Doppler Radar
RADAR is an acronym that stands for RAdio Detecting And
Ranging. Early radar systems sent out powerful radio pulses that
Since 1995, this Doppler on Wheels mobile radar system has allowed
adventurous scientists to drive directly into tornadoes. Maps are created
from the Doppler images and have provided new insights into how torna-
does form and evolve.
reflected off objects such as rain or clouds. The more rain or
clouds, the more they reflected the radar signal. This told mete-
orologists about the location and size of certain weather events
but not the speed and direction of the moving air.
Radar technology has developed quite a bit over the past 50
years. In the early 1990s, the NEXt Generation RADar system
(NEXRAD) replaced the older Doppler radar systems. Throughout
Meteorologists rely on hurricane hunters to learn more about hurri-
canes. Since 1944, these members of the Air Force Reserve have flown
planes equipped with weather instruments straight into the middle of
hurricanes. They immediately relay details about the hurricane to the
Tropical Prediction Center. One hunter described the experience as
being tossed about like a stick in a dogs mouth.
HURRICANE HUNTERS
The name
TIROS stands
for Television
InfraRed
Observation
Satellites.
These satellites
observe Earths
cloud cover
and weather
patterns from
space.
the United States and overseas, there are about 159 NEXRAD
Doppler radar stations. Doppler radars gather weather data and
send it immediately to computers at the National Climatic Data
Center (NCDC), a division of the National Weather Service. A
map is generated that shows patterns of precipitation and its
movement anywhere in the world. Updates are provided every
five minutes. Doppler radar can show wind direction and speed
more than 500 miles (805 km) away. Doppler radar also detects
tornadoes before they form. Forecasters can now track storms days
in advance, making Doppler radar an invaluable tool. Advance
warnings of tornadoes and hurricanes have saved many lives.
Satellites
Satellites truly provide the biggest picture of Earths weather. In
1960, the TIROS 1 satellite sent meteorologists the first photos
of all Earths clouds. Until this point, meteorologists could only
see sections of the worlds cloud cover. Since then, satellite tech-
nology has rapidly advanced, providing nearly complete cover-
age of the worlds weather. Today, weather data from satellites is
never more than six hours old.
Like Doppler radar, U.S. satellites look for storms that can
threaten us. There are geostationary and polar-orbiting satellites
beaming this information to weather stations all over the world.
The United States, Japan, and Europe have geostationary satel-
lites that orbit over the equator. They stay over the same spot
while Earth is spinning. To do this, they need to be stationed
about 22,000 miles (35,406 km) up to maintain just the right
speed to keep up with Earths rotation.
There are also two U.S. polar-orbiting satellites circling Earth
from north to south, crossing over the South and North poles.
They fly only about 530 miles (853 km) up in the atmosphere.
Because Earth is rotating, these satellites capture images from
Twice a day, every day
of the year, weather
balloons are released
simultaneously from
almost 900 locations
worldwide. The bal-
loon flights last for
about two hours.
Weather balloons can
drift as far as 125
miles (201 km) away
and rise up to more
than 20 miles (32 km)
in the atmosphere.
every part of the planet every 12 hours. Information from satel-
lites is channeled to a computer, along with information gath-
ered from other meteorological instruments.
Radiosondes
Radiosondes are carried by weather balloons. Radiosondes allow
scientists to measure winds and greatly improve our understand-
ing of the weather.
Radiosondes that measure temperature, humidity, and pres-
sure are attached to large balloons and released thousands of feet
into the air. As the balloon rises higher in the sky, a radio trans-
mitter sends the weather data to radiosonde stations on the
ground. There are more than 900 radiosonde stations world-
wide. When the balloon bursts, the weather instruments (which
are wrapped together in a type of package) float to Earth on a
parachute. The National Weather Service releases hundreds of
radiosondes each day. About one-third of them are found, and
returned. If you find one, you just drop it in a mailbox, postage
free! Radiosondes were named for the word sonde, which is Old
French for sounding line.
Computers
Whether it comes from an amateur weather observer, a barome-
ter, a satellite, or a weather balloon, every piece of weather infor-
mation is fed into supercomputers at the National Weather
Service. These supercomputers are able to compute more than 2
billion operations a second. Air pressure, Earths rotation, the
water cycle, and every other factor that completes the weather
puzzle are fed into these computers. Weather maps are created
that explain every weather action happening anywhere in the
world in that very instant.
This process is also called numerical forecasting. Numerical
forecasts allow weather forecasters to have an up-to-the-minute
knowledge of the current weather. This greatly enhances their
ability to predict the weather with as much accuracy as possible.
Is Our Climate
Changing?
ust as our weather always changes, the climate of Earth has
always changed as well. For example, ice ages blanketed
parts of Earth with thick ice on and off for thousands of years.
Volcanic eruptions have changed the climate in both directions.
Molten lava can heat up a large area of the planet with its
intense volcanic energy. Volcanic ash spewed miles into the sky
can also block the Suns rays, causing the world to become cold
and uninhabitable. These cycles have been a part of Earths nat-
ural history since the birth of the planet billions of years ago.
Earth has always balanced its temperature by sending the heat
it receives from the Sun back out into space. However, certain
gases in our atmosphere trap the heat that is given off from
Earths surface. These are called greenhouse gases, since they
hold in heat like a greenhouse. Greenhouse gases, such as water
vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, are an
important part of our atmosphere. They keep Earth from becom-
ing a ball of ice with surface temperatures of about 0F (18C).
Over the past century, many scientists have shown evidence
that these greenhouse gases are building up. This buildup
increases the amount of heat trapped close to the surface of
Is Our Climate
Changing?
CHAPTER SEVEN
I
J
Air has no borders or immigration policy. We all breathe the same air.
The pollution from a factory in the United States affects the air quality on
the other side of the world, and vice versa.
Earth. Therefore, Earth is warming up. Many scientists believe
human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels, are the
cause. These fuels, mostly gas and oil, release carbon dioxide
when they are burned. This is also called exhaust. The United
States produces about 25% of the worlds exhaust. Still, others
say the increasing world temperatures are just a natural part of
Earths normal cycle.
Evidence of Global Warming?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a
group of scientists from around the world who are brought
together by the United Nations. Every year, this group meets to
discuss recent scientific findings on climate change. They also
Rising global temperatures are melting Earths polar ice caps and glaciers
and increasing the sea level. As global warming continues, millions of people
are at risk from floods.
debate how a warmer climate could affect our modern societies.
Rising sea levels, melting polar ice and mountain glaciers,
warmer oceans, and flooding are among the subjects of this sci-
entific research on climate change.
Smog is polluted fog. In cities such as Los Angeles, California, car
exhaust, forest fires, and industrial processes all release large particles
of pollution into the air. These particles are types of condensation
nuclei that create clouds, or fog, near the ground. Smog is also known
as a combination of smoke and fog. The air pollution that creates smog
also makes it very difficult for some people to breathe. Studies show
that asthma rates in children are increasing. There is some evidence
that increased air pollution is the reason.
SMOG, POLLUTION, AND ASTHMA
In addition to infrared
light, the Sun sends ultra-
violet (UV) light to Earth.
Most of it is blocked by
the ozone layer in the
stratosphere. However,
certain man-made chem-
icals destroy this protec-
tive ozone layer, which
allows more UV light to
reach the planets sur-
face. Because UV light is
very harmful to living
creatures and causes can-
cer, the use of these
ozone-layer-destroying
chemicals has been limit-
ed or banned since the
1980s. This has been a
worldwide success, and
today the hole in the
ozone is shrinking.
A satellite mapped the pink area outlined
in white as a severe depletion, or hole,
in the ozone layer caused by pollution
over Antarctica.
Sheets of thick ice called glaciers form on some mountains in
various places of the world. These mountain glaciers have been
slowly melting over the past 100 years. This melting of glacial
ice has sharply increased over the past 30 years. The Arctic is also
covered with thick sheets of ice. Today that ice is 40% thinner
than it was just 30 years ago. Many scientists point out that ris-
ing global temperatures are the reason for this melting.
Sea levels around the world rose 4 to 8 inches (1020 cm) dur-
ing the twentieth century. Some of this increase is partly from
the melting mountain glaciers. Many scientists believe that if
the temperature keeps increasing, even more glacial ice will
melt. One U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study foresees
THE HOLE IN THE OZONE
A warmer climate brings more rain to some parts of the world and less to
others. The Amazon is now in its worst drought in 40 years.
a 1-foot (0.3-m) rise in sea levels on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts
by 2050 and a 2-foot (0.6-m) rise by 2100. A 2-foot rise in the
oceans would severely flood all coastal communities in the
world. This much ocean water would also permanently cover a
piece of the United States bigger than Massachusetts.
Evidence shows that ocean water is also heating up. Hurricanes
receive their power from warm water. Based on computer mod-
els, some scientists say as the oceans heat up, the destructive
strength of hurricanes will increase.
Scientists point out that it rains more now in certain areas of
the world than it did 100 years ago. As temperatures rise, we
could expect even more rainfall. Yet, scientists point out that
other parts of the world will experience more droughts. There
currently is not enough evidence to say whether drought is
increasing or not.
A possible upside to global warming is having warmer win-
ters. Although that means fewer snowball fights, it also means a
longer growing season. This translates into more food produc-
tion in certain areas of the world. There is already evidence in
Europe that the growing season is several days longer since the
1960s. Spring plants now bloom about six days earlier.
It is important to remember that not all areas will have more
food. If the worlds temperatures keep increasing, those areas of
the world that are already hot and dry will not be able to grow
the same amount of food. Serious consequences will be felt in
places such as the tropics and parts of Africa. Scientists predict
that by the 2080s, about 80 million people, mostly within
Africa, could go hungry because of climate change.
Humans Create Greenhouse Gases
Carbon dioxide gas is added to the atmosphere when fossil fuels
are burned, such as gasoline and oil. Human activities use enor-
mous amounts of these fuels. Each day, we use fossil fuels to
power all parts of our lives. For example, every time you drive in
a car, you are using fossil fuels. One way to slow climate change
is to ride your bike more.
Carbon dioxide is removed from the air by plants during pho-
tosynthesis. When we cut down trees, we take away natures
ability to reduce carbon dioxide. Perhaps you can plant some
trees to help reduce this greenhouse gas in our air.
Cut out a square piece of white cloth. Next, cut out a smaller square
of cloth and glue it onto the middle of the first, larger square. Then,
hang it outside for about a week. Peel off the square in the middle. Is
the area underneath the smaller square cleaner than the surrounding
cloth? Whatever made the cloth dirty is in the air that you breathe.
Try placing the cloth in different locations, such as a park or near a fac-
tory. Notice if there are any differences.
HOW TO TEST AIR POLLUTION
The worlds biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, in particular
the United States and Russia, did not sign the Kyoto Protocol. Many con-
cerned citizens protested against their own governments in the hopes of
changing this decision.
Thousands of people all around the world are changing the
way they live in order to stop global warming. Most of the
worlds governments have pledged to switch to cleaner fuels,
such as solar and wind energy. These do not release carbon diox-
ide into the air. Scientists are committed to researching new
technologies and processes that do not put more greenhouse
gases into our air.
The debate over global warming continues in scientific labs
and governmental offices. Whether climate change is human-
made or a natural cycle of Earths weather is still not complete-
ly understood. However, the evidence points out that the
worlds climate is shifting. The effects are visible. Perhaps we
should remember a most important thing: We all can make a
difference in our world.
66 Glossary
air the mixture of gases that form the atmosphere of Earth
air pollution chemicals or substances in the atmosphere that are directly or
indirectly harmful to living things
air pressure the weight of air pressing down on Earth. Air pressure can change
from place to place, and this causes air to move, flowing from areas of high pres-
sure toward areas of low pressure. It is the same as barometric pressure.
atmosphere the layer of gases surrounding a planet. Earths atmosphere is
divided into five layers: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere,
and exosphere.
barometer an instrument that measures air pressure
blizzard an intense winter storm where winds of 35 miles per hour or higher
blow falling snow. In a blizzard, you cannot see farther than one-quarter mile for
at least three hours.
breeze a light wind
climate the average weather conditions in a certain place or during a certain sea-
son. Weather may change from day to day, but climate changes only over hun-
dreds or thousands of years. Many animals and plants can survive in only one
kind of climate.
condensation the change of water vapor to liquid water, forming clouds, fog, or
dew
Coriolis Effect a force that redirects moving objects in relation to Earths rota-
tion. The object is still going straight, but Earth moves beneath it, which makes it
look as though an object is veering to one side. In the Northern Hemisphere,
Earth rotates west to east, so winds and currents are deflected to the right in the
Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, they appear to move to the
left.
drizzle a light rain made up of very small water droplets
drought a period when a region has little rainfall. Droughts can affect a small
area for a season or an entire continent for years. Too little rainfall can cause
shortages in the water supply, destroy crops, and cause widespread hunger.
Droughts also dry up soil, which then gets picked up by the wind and causes
dust storms.
equator the imaginary line that circles the middle of Earth like a belt. It separates
the Northern Hemisphere from the Southern Hemisphere.
evaporation the process of changing a liquid (such as water) to a vapor. It is the
opposite of condensation.
flood when rivers rise and go over their banks after days of heavy rain and/or
melting snows. A flash flood is sudden flooding that occurs when floodwaters rise
swiftly with no warning within several hours of an intense rain. They often occur
after intense rainfall from slow-moving thunderstorms.
fog a cloud on the ground that reduces visibility. Dense fog can reduce visibility
while driving so that you cannot see farther than one-quarter mile, which creates
travel problems and delays.
fossil fuels the remains of ancient plants and animals that turn into oil and gas
over millions of years
freeze when the temperature falls below 32 degrees Fahrenheit over a large area
for an extended time. A freeze can destroy crops.
glacier a large sheet of ice that survives for thousands of years
Glossary
global warming the theory that increased concentrations of greenhouse gases
are causing Earths surface temperature to rise
greenhouse the heating effect of Earths atmosphere. The atmosphere acts like a
greenhouse because sunlight freely passes through it and warms the surface. As
Earth sends heat back toward space, some of the heat is trapped by the atmos-
phere, which keeps Earth at a comfortable temperature.
high pressure a whirling mass of cool, dry air that generally brings fair weather
and light winds. When viewed from above, winds spiral out of a high-pressure cen-
ter in a clockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere. These bring sunny skies.
humidity the amount of water vapor in the air
hurricane an intense storm with swirling winds up to 156 miles per hour.
Usually around 300 miles across, hurricanes can be 1,000 to 5,000 times larger
than tornadoes.
hurricane season a six-month period from June 1 to November 30, when con-
ditions are favorable for hurricane development
low pressure a whirling mass of warm, moist air that generally brings stormy
weather with strong winds. When viewed from above, winds spiral into a low-
pressure center in a counterclockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere.
meteorologist a scientist who studies and predicts the weather. Meteorologists
use sophisticated equipment, such as Doppler radar and supercomputers, but they
also rely on old-fashioned sky watching.
meteorology the study of the atmosphere and all its phenomena, including
weather and how to forecast it.
mist water droplets so small that they are floating in the air. Because mist droplets
do not fall, mist is a type of fog.
monsoon a seasonal wind, found especially in Asia, that reverses direction
between summer and winter and often brings heavy rains
National Weather Service the federal agency that provides weather, hydro-
logic, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States
ozone a form of oxygen that has a weak chlorine odor. Ozone heats the upper
atmosphere by absorbing ultraviolet rays from sunlight. In the troposphere, ozone
is a pollutant, but in the stratosphere, it filters out harmful ultraviolet radiation.
precipitation the general name for water in any form falling from clouds. This
includes rain, drizzle, hail, snow, and sleet. Dew, frost, and fog are not considered
precipitation.
smog visible air pollution in urban areas that looks like dirty fog in large cities
storm any disturbed state of the atmosphere that creates unpleasant weather such
as rain, lightning, thunder, hail, snow, sleet, and freezing rain
Sun The star in the center of our solar system. The Sun is responsible for most of
Earths weather, even though it is 93 million miles away. The Suns intense heat
gives energy to Earths atmosphere and sets it in motion.
temperature the measurement of how hot or cold something is
thermometer an instrument that measures temperature
thunder the explosive sound of air expanding as it is heated by lightning. This
air is about 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
thunderstorm a storm produced by a cumulonimbus cloud that always has
lightning and thunder. Rain, hail, high winds, and tornadoes may or may not
occur.
Tornado Alley the region of the United States where tornadoes occur most fre-
quently. Tornado Alley is the corridor along the Great Plains. It extends from the
Rocky Mountains in the West to the Appalachian Mountains in the East.
Glossary 67
68 Bibliography
Keen, Richard A. Skywatch: The Western Weather Guide. Fulcrum Publishing: Golden,
Colo., 1987.
Kloesel, Dr. Kevin. At ARMs Length: Using Radiosondes to Extend Our Grasp of
Weather and Climate. Climate Education Update (newsletter).
Kristof, Nicholas D. 2005. The Storm Next Time. The New York Times, 2005.
Lagass, Paul (Ed.). The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia University
Press: New York, 2000.
National Climatic Data Center: Protecting the Past, Revealing the Future. NOAA
Satellite and Information Service.
www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html
Public Awareness: Satellites and Hurricane Hunters. Department of Atmospheric
Sciences.
ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/hurr/awar.rxml
Wagner, Ronald L. and Bill Adler, Jr. The Weather Sourcebook. Adler & Robin Books:
Washington, D.C., 1997.
Weather and Climate Basics. The National Center for Atmospheric Research.
eo.ucar.edu/basics/index.html
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Bibliography
BOOKS
Blanchard, Duncan C. Snowflake Man: A Biography of Wilson A. Bentley. Newark, Ohio:
McDonald and Woodward Publishing Company, 1998.
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McElderry, 2006.
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WEB SITES
ametsoc.org
The American Meteorological Society
www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov
Climate Prediction Center
eo.ucar.edu/kids/links.html#science
Everything about the weather, including activities, links, glossary
www.extremescience.com/mainweather.htm
Extreme weather record breakers
ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate
Weather satellite data and information from the National Climatic Data Center
www.nhc.noaa.gov
Hurricane Central from the Tropical Prediction Center of the National Weather Service
www.nws.noaa.gov
The National Weather Service
www.nws.noaa.gov/om/coop
The National Weather Services Cooperative Observer Program
www.rcn27.dial.pipex.com/cloudsrus/home.html
www.tornadoproject.com
The Tornado Project
weather.yahoo.com
Worldwide five-day forecasts
www.weatherwizkids.com
Includes facts, folklore, games, jokes, experiments, and activities
www.wildwildweather.com
yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/index.html
Global warming site
Further Exploration 69
Further Exploration
Page numbers for illustrations are in italic
air pressure, 14, 2426, 42
Alberti, Leon Battista, 13
altitude, 2728
animals, 89, 11, 12
archaeology, 1011
Aristotle, 13
asthma, 18, 61
atmosphere, 17, 1723
balloons, 19, 22, 24, 30, 54, 57
barometers, 14, 14, 24, 26
baseball, 43
Beaufort scale, 45
Blanchard, Duncan, 21
blizzards, 42
carbon dioxide, 2021, 59, 60,
6465
Celsius, Anders, 28
ceremonies, 11, 11
chasers, storm, 53
chinook winds, 45
cirrus clouds, 3738, 38
climate, 16
climate change, 5965
clouds, 3334, 3536, 3740, 38, 39
computers, forecasting and, 58
condensation, 34, 3435
condensation nuclei, 3435
conversions, 28
Cooperative Observation Program, 15,
5253
Coriolis effect, 43, 47
cumulonimbus clouds, 39, 3940, 49
cumulus clouds, 37, 38, 38, 3940
cyclones, 49
dew, 34
doldrums, 43
Doppler radar, 15, 42, 5456, 55
droughts, 63, 63
Earth, 17, 23, 29, 30, 31, 43,
5658
electricity, 4041
electromagnetic radiation, 22
evaporation, 33, 33, 36
Everest, Mount, 26
exosphere, 22
Fahrenheit, Gabriel Daniel, 28
flooding, 10, 61, 6263
fog, 34, 38, 61
forecasting
clouds and, 3739, 38
importance of, 89
meteorologists and, 5153
tools for, 9, 26, 5358
tornadoes and, 50
fossil fuels, 60, 64
friction, 43
frost, 34
Galilei, Galileo, 1314, 28
geostationary satellites, 57
glaciers, 61, 6162
global warming, 5965
gods, 1011, 1213
gravity, 17, 19, 21, 2324
greenhouse gases, 5965, 65
growing seasons, 6364
hail, 37
humidity, 9, 33
hurricane hunters, 55
hurricanes
friction and, 43
global warming and, 63
images of, 8, 44, 46, 48, 54
naming of, 47
overview of, 4649
hydrogen, 17
hydrologic cycle, 32, 33
infrared light, 20
intensity ratings, 4849
Jefferson, Thomas, 15
Katrina, Hurricane, 46
Kyoto Protocol, 65
lightning, 12, 4041, 41
mesosphere, 22
meteor showers, 22
meteorology, 1314, 21, 5153
mist, 34
monsoons, 36
morning glory flowers, 9, 9
movement, 24, 2931, 40, 42
70 Index
Index
naming of storms, 47
National Weather Service, 52, 53, 56, 58
NEXRAD, 5556
NOAA, 52
nuclei, 3435
numerical forecasting, 58
observations, 15, 5253
ocean level rises, 61, 6263
oxygen, 19, 26, 2729
ozone, 19, 2021, 62
photosynthesis, 19
pinecones, 9
plants, 89, 19
polar regions, 31
polar-orbiting satellites, 5758
pollution, 18, 3435, 60, 61, 64
precipitation, 33, 35, 3637
prediction. See forecasting
pressure, 14, 2426, 42
radar, 15, 42, 5456, 55
radiosondes, 54, 57, 58
rain, 36, 36
rain ceremonies, 11, 11
rainbows, 35
raindrop photography, 21
Rita, Hurricane, 48, 54
rituals, 11, 1112
Saffir-Simpson scale, 48
satellites, 15, 56, 5658, 62
seasons, 29
sky, 1213
sleet, 37
smog, 61
snow, 3637, 37
snowflakes, 36, 3637
storm chasers, 53
storm surge, 44
stratosphere, 2122
stratus clouds, 37, 38
Sun, 17, 1921, 20, 2930, 33, 35
telegraphs, 15
temperature
air movement and, 4344
atmosphere and, 20, 2122
changing, 45, 59
clouds and, 38, 39
evaporation, condensation and, 3334,
34
ocean water and, 4647, 63
water cycle and, 3032
thermometers, 1314, 28
thermosphere, 22, 22
thunder, 1213, 41
thunderbird, 12, 12
thunderstorms, 39, 40, 4041
TIROS 1 satellite, 56, 56
Tornado Alley, 50, 50
tornadoes, 42, 49, 4950, 50, 56
Torricelli, Evangelista, 14, 14
totem poles, 12, 12
trade winds, 43
Tropical Prediction Center, 51, 55
tropical storms, 47
troposphere, 20, 21, 22
turbines, 25
typhoons, 49
ultraviolet radiation, 19, 62
volcanic eruptions, 1719, 59
Washington, Mount, 49
water, 2021, 32, 33
weather balloons, 54, 57, 58
weight of air, 1920, 2629
wind socks, 45, 52
wind vanes, 13
winds
air pressure and, 42
baseball and, 43
chinook, 45
Coriolis effect and, 43
fastest recorded, 49
friction and, 43
hail and, 37
hurricanes and, 43, 4649
naming of, 44
sensing of, 45
temperature and, 31
tornadoes and, 4950
Index 71
72 About the Author / Picture Credits
Picture Credits
About the Author
RANDI MEHLING is the author of several nonfiction books for
young readers. She has written on a wide variety of health and sci-
ence topics, including Great Extinctions of the Past and this book in
Chelsea Houses Scientific American series. Mehling has a passion
for the natural world and our relationship with it. She is a pub-
lished poet and essayist and holds a masters degree in public health.
PAGE 3: Jim Reed/Corbis
8: Jim Reed/Corbis
9: Wolfgang Kaehler/Corbis
11: Lindsay Hebberd/CORBIS
12: Ron Watts /CORBIS
14: Science Source/Photo Researchers, Inc.
17: G. Baden/zefa/Corbis
18: Novastock/Photo Researchers, Inc.
20: Denis Scott /Corbis
25: Eric Nguyen/Jim Reed Photography/Corbis
26: Sam Ogden/Photo Researchers, Inc.
27: Nawang Sherpa/Bogati /ZUMA/Corbis
28: SPL/Photo Researchers, Inc.
29: Mark Garlick/Photo Researchers, Inc.
34: Pekka Parviainen/Photo Researchers, Inc.
35: P. Jude/Photo Researchers, Inc.
36: Edward Kinsman/Photo Researchers, Inc.
38 (left): NASA/Photo Researchers, Inc.
38 (right): David R. Frazier /Photo Researchers, Inc.
39: Paul A. Souders/CORBIS
41: Mike Theiss/Jim Reed Photography/Corbis
44: Jim Edds/Jim Reed Photography/Photo Researchers, Inc.
46: NOAA/ZUMA/Corbis
48: NOAA/Corbis
50: Jim Zuckerman/CORBIS
53: Jim Reed/CORBIS
54: NASA/Photo Researchers, Inc.
55: Jim Reed/Photo Researchers, Inc
56: David A. Hardy/Photo Researchers, Inc.
57: David Parker/Photo Researchers, Inc.
60: Andrew Holbrooke/Corbis
61: Carlos Corvalan/Intendecia El Calafate/Reuters/Corbis
62: NASA/GSFC/GLA/Photo Researchers, Inc.
63: Chico Batata/epa/Corbis
65: Tolga Bozoglu/epa/Corbis
COVER IMAGES, FROM LEFT:
Clouds Tim Pleasant /Shutterstock.com
Lightning John C. Panella Jr. /Shutterstock.com
Rainbow Diane Webb/Shutterstock.com

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Earths Journey Through Space

Electromagnetism, and How It Works

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