Overview

In this section you will find materials that support the implementation of EarthComm, Section 9: Present Day Climate in Your Community.

Learning Outcomes

• Analyze and interpret data to describe the climate of your community.
• Analyze and interpret data to compare the climate of your community with the climate of a different community.
• Plan and carry out an investigation to explain how the rates of cooling and heating of soil or rock and water can affect climate.

Inquiring Further

To learn more about weather systems in the United States, visit the following web sites:

National Weather Service Service, NOAA
The main weather service hub. Find out about average national and regional weather in the US.

National Weather Service Climate Services, NOAA
Examine average weather conditions for your community.

NOAA In Your State and Territory, NOAA
Examine NOAA’s weather programs and activities in your state.

Regional Climate Maps, Weekly, Monthly, 3 Month 1 Year, NOAA
NOAA’s maps include data on temperature, precipitation, winds, and archives of historic patterns.

1. To learn more about the jet stream, visit the following web sites:
   
   The Jet Stream, North Carolina Climate Office
   Describes the flow of the jet streams and provides graphics that show the jet streams in relation to global wind belts.
   
   Jet Steam, University of Illinois
   Overview of the jet stream and how it impacts weather systems.
   
   Understanding Winds, Jet Streams, USAToday
   Scroll down to the "Understanding Winds, Jet Streams" section of this online newspaper to investigate the science behind the jet stream.

Feb 2018: Soaring Temperatures and the Jet Stream?, NOAA
Describes how on two days in late February 2018, temperatures soared across the eastern United States to to those of early summer. How was extreme meandering of the jet stream involved? Find out.

Resources

To learn more about this topic, visit the following web sites:

Factors Affecting Climate

Factors Affecting Climate, UK Environmental Change Network
Offers information on geographic factors affecting climate, including both natural and human factors. Following page looks at environmental change in the UK.

Climate vs Weather, NOAA
Revision of important distinctions between climate and weather.

U.S. Climate Divisions, NOAA
Looks at how the US is divided into climate divisions.

Global Climate Zones, National Geographic
Looks at how the world’s climates can be divided into categories resulting in widely used classification systems.

2018 Global Climate Anomalies, NOAA
Looks at how the world’s climate and weather events reached extreme values across the globe.

Latitude

Factors Affecting Arctic Weather and Climate, The National Snow and Ice Data Center
Discusses the factors affecting arctic weather and climate.  

Elevation and Geographic Features

Climate of Colorado, Colorado State University
Discover the effects of elevation on Colorado's climate.

The High and Lows of Climate, NOAA
Introduces the influence of topography on climate. Scroll over a basemap to see precipitation and topogrpahy. Links to stories on rain shadows and other topographic topics.

Isle of Man: Geography and Climate, IM Government
Explore the British island, Isle of Man, and learn what role its geography has in creating its mild climate.

Global Climate

Global Climate Change, NASA
Comprehensive portal with scientific news bulletins about climate related science and information on evidence, causes, effects, and consensus about climate change.

Climate Variability and Change, United States Global Change Research Program
Learn about the factors affecting the world's climate system (i.e., natural and anthropogenic changes) and how these can also influence its social and economic well-being.

Environment and Global Climate Change, USAID
Learn how USAID attempts to help countries develop sustainably in regions worst hit by environmental stresses caused by climatic variability.