p. 358 Climate
National
Climatic Data Center
At this site by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), you can find
the world’s largest archive of weather and climate data. The NCDC collects
climate data that can be used in agriculture, education, forestry, health,
recreation, and water resources management. You can access information
by data type or by weather station. Go to Browse by Data Type and click
on Climate, then click on Get/View Online Climate data, to find information
on climate. Although this site is a little complicated, it is a good
site for actual climate data.
World
Wide Weather and Climate
Visit this University of Wyoming site to learn about worldwide weather
and climate. You can search for climate information by geographical
region or just choose a weather or climate topic to explore. Scroll
down and click on Asia, then click on Asian city forecasts. What is
the weather like right now in Hong Kong?
World
Climate
You can go to this site to type in any city or town worldwide and
bring up climate data on that place. Check it out by typing in the name
of your city or town to find out the average temperature, average rainfall,
average sea-level pressure, and average station-level pressure where
you live.
Climate
and Radiation
At this National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) site
you can access information on clouds, rainfall, aerosols, and remote
sensing. Click on projects to find out what types of projects are underway
on climate, or scroll down to GOES to find out about the geosynchronous
operational environmental satellites.
U.S. National 1971-2000 Climate Normals
Visit this site to see what the U.S. climate has been for the last 30
years. Climatologists study the average weather data over a 30-year
period to determine climatic conditions and changes. Scroll down and
click on interpretation of climatic normals. What does a climatologist
mean by the term, "climatic normals"?
p. 362 The Tropics
Smithsonian
Tropical Research Institute
Visit this Smithsonian Institute site to find out what kinds of
research are being conducted in the tropics. You can learn about animal
behavior, plant ecology, evolution, and genetics of tropical organisms
at this site. Click on educational links, then on rainforests to learn
all about tropical rainforests. Why are tropical rainforests important?
Global
Climate – Tropical Moist Climates
At this site you can learn the general characteristics of moist
tropical climates. You can find details on three major types of tropical
climates – tropical wet, tropical wet and dry, and tropical monsoon.
Click on example at Iquitos, Peru to see graphs of annual temperatures
and monthly precipitation in a typical moist tropical climate.
Explore:
What are Tropical Rainforests?
Go to this site to find out all about tropical rainforests. Read
each page, then click on next to go on to the next page. After the first
page, each page includes a quiz that appears to the left of the screen.
Answer each quiz question to see what you have learned by exploring
the site.
Atlantic
Basin Tropical Weather Page
Visit this site to see tropical storms over the Atlantic Basin.
Click on animated gif to see an animation of weather conditions in the
tropical Atlantic Ocean. Be patient; it takes time to load the photographs,
but the animation is good. This site is only active during hurricane
season, beginning in June.
p. 371 El Niño
What
is an El Niño?
At this NOAA site you can learn more about the climatic changes
caused by El Niño and La Niña. Scroll down and click on animation of
El Niño to see the changes in monthly sea surface temperatures in the
tropical Pacific Ocean.
El Niño Section
At this Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) site you
can see an illustration of El Niño on the eastern Pacific Ocean. Click
on more to see a graphic of how El Niño works and a map showing ocean
temperatures worldwide during this phenomenon.
El
Niño Page
Visit this NOAA site for answers to questions about El Niño, including
forecasting, observations, and research. This page also has links to
other sources of information about El Niño. Click on Animations and
Graphics, then on any animation or graphic that you would like to see.
El
Niño Returns
At this Cable News Network (CNN) site you can find out all about
the El Niño event of spring 1998. Click on the forecast to read about
what was expected. Then return to the main page and click on prediction
meter to find out whether the predictions turned out to be true.
p. 380 Global Warming
Welcome
to EPA’s Global Warming Site
Visit this Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) site for everything
you want to know about global warming. Find out about climate change,
greenhouse gas emissions, the impacts of global warming, and what actions
are being taken. Click on Global Warming for Kids, then click on Games.
Pick a game and play it to find out how much you already know about
global warming.
Global
Warming
This site by the Environmental Defense Fund gives a description of the dangers of global warming. Visit this site to learn what you can do to stop global warming.
NCDC:
Global Warming
Go to this NOAA site for frequently asked questions about global
warming. Click on the question, is the climate warming, for an answer.
Is the answer what you were expecting?
