Jabez

Brown Zone

 Lessons

ENSO Basics

EL NINO

LA NINA

Definitions  for reading maps

Understanding the Hemispheres

OCEANS OF THE WORLD

LEARN MORE ABOUT OCEANS

 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

United States Map - interactive

LEARN MORE ABOUT AFRICA

LEARNING ABOUT CHINA

RIVERS OF CHINA

CHINESE MAP OF CHINA

ENGLISH MAP OF CHINA

LEARN MORE ABOUT CHINA

LUNAR ECLIPSE

SOLAR ECLIPSE 2009

OUTER SPACE AND SOLAR SYSTEM

Lesson 1 Clouds

Clouds are made up of millions of tiny drops of water. They form in different shapes  and at different heights in the sky. A cloud forms when moist air rises upwards. As the air cools, it expands and changes,  and condenses into tiny water droplets. The highest clouds contain ice crystals.

There are 3 types of HIGH CLOUDS

CIRRUS CLOUDS- Thin wispy streaks

CIRROSTRATUS CLOUDS-  Pale high layer

CIRROCUMULUS CLOUDS-  Tiny lumps that look like bead or pearls

There are 3 types of MIDDLE CLOUD LAYER

MID LEVEL CLOUDS

ALTOCUMULUS CLOUDS- Higher lumpy layer

ALTOSTRATUS CLOUDS-  Pale white layer

NIMBOSTRATUS CLOUDS-  Grey layer that produces rain or snow

There are 4 types of LOWEST CLOUDS

CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS- the dark storm clouds

CUMULUS CLOUDS- Cotton wool type

STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS-  Uneven patchy layer

STRATUS CLOUDS-  Covers top of mountain/hills

Can you find the pictures of these clouds in your  Pocket Science Book ?

ENSO Basics

El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO for short. Often the term ENSO Warm Phase is used to describe El Niño and ENSO Cold Phase to describe La Niña.
 

What are El Niño and La Niña? 

 What is ENSO? 

 Why do we care about El Niño and La Niña?

What are El Niño and La Niña?

The term El Niño was first coined more than 100 years ago to describe the unusually warm waters that would occasionally form along the coast of Ecuador and Peru. This phenomenon typically occurred late in the calendar year near Christmas, hence the name El Niño (spanish for "the boy child", referring to the Christ child). Today the term El Niño is used to refer to a much broader scale phenomenon associated with unusually warm water that occasionally forms across much of the tropical eastern and central  Pacific. The time between successive El Niño events is irregular but they typically tend to recur every 3 to 7 years.

La Niña is the counterpart to El Niño and is characterized by cooler than normal SSTs across much of the equatorial eastern and central Pacific. A La Niña event often, but not always, follows an El Niño and vice versa. Once developed, both El Niño and La Niña events tend to last for roughly a year although occasionally they may persist for 18 months or more. El Niño and  La Niña are both a normal part of the earth's climate and there is recorded evidence of their having occurred for hundreds of years.

Although El Niño and La Niña events are characterized by warmer or cooler than average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific, they are also associated with changes in wind, pressure, and rainfall patterns. In the tropics where El Niño and La Niña form, rainfall tends to occur over areas having the warmest sea surface temperature. The Figure 2 below shows a schematic view of the links between sea-surface temperatures and tropical rainfall:

• Normal conditions (top-most figure below). The warmest water is found in the western Pacific, as is the greatest rainfall. Winds near the ocean surface travel from east to west across the Pacific (these winds are called easterlies ).
• El Niño conditions (lower-left figure). The easterlies weaken, warmer than average sea surface temperatures cover the central and eastern tropical Pacific, and the region of heaviest rainfall moves eastward as well.
• La Niña conditions (lower-right figure). Could be thought of as an enhancement of normal conditions. During these events, the easterlies strengthen, colder than average ocean water extends westward to the central Pacific, and the warmer than average sea-surface temperatures in the western Pacific are accompanied by heavier than usual rainfall.

·         Why do we care about El Niño and La Niña?

·         Once developed, El Niño and La Niña events typically persist for about a year and so the shifted rainfall patterns associated with them typically persist for several seasons as well. This can have a significant impact on people living in areas of the tropical Pacific since the usual precipitation patterns can be greatly disrupted by either excessively wet or dry conditions. In addition, the shifting of tropical rainfall patterns during El Niño and La Niña not only affects the tropical Pacific region but areas away from the tropical Pacific as well. This includes many tropical locations as well as some regions outside the tropics in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. For information about why this happens, see the ENSO and Climate section.

·         Seasonal climate forecasts made possible

·         The persistence of tropical sea surface temperature (and rainfall) patterns (such as those associated El Niño and La Niña) plays a fundamental role in making seasonal (3-month) climate forecasts possible. In the absence of El Niño and La Niña, seasonal climate forecasts are still possible because unusually warm or cold sea surface temperatures in other parts of the tropics can still occur. For more details on seasonal climate forecasts, see Forecasting Climate

EL NINO

So What is an El Niño, Anyway?

What is an El Niño?

What causes it?

Usually, the wind blows strongly from east to west along the equator in the Pacific. This actually piles up water (about half a meter's worth) in the western part of the Pacific. In the eastern part, deeper water (which is colder than the sun-warmed surface water) gets pulled up from below to replace the water pushed west. So, the normal situation is warm water (about 30 C) in the west, cold (about 22 C) in the east.

In an El Niño, the winds pushing that water around get weaker. As a result, some of the warm water piled up in the west slumps back down to the east, and not as much cold water gets pulled up from below. Both these tend to make the water in the eastern Pacific warmer, which is one of the hallmarks of an El Niño.

But it doesn't stop there. The warmer ocean then affects the winds--it makes the winds weaker! So if the winds get weaker, then the ocean gets warmer, which makes the winds get weaker, which makes the ocean get warmer ... this is called a positive feedback, and is what makes an El Niño grow.

So what makes it stop growing?

The ocean is full of waves, but you might not know how many kinds of waves there are. There's one called a Rossby wave that is quite unlike the waves you see when you visit the beach. It's more like a distant cousin to a tidal wave. The difference is that a tidal wave goes very quickly, with all the water moving pretty much in the same direction. In a Rossby wave, the upper part of the ocean, say the top 100 meters or so, will be lesirely sliding one way, while the lower part, starting at 100 meters and going on down, will be slowly moving the other way. After a while they switch directions. Everything happens very slowly and inside the ocean, and you can't even see them on the surface. These things are so slow, they can take months or years to cross the oceans. If you had the patience to sit there while one was going by, you'd hardly notice it; the water would be moving 100 times slower than walking speed. But they are large, hundreds or thousands of kilometers in length (not height! Remember, you can hardly see them on the surface), so they can have an effect on things. Another wave you rarely hear about is called a Kelvin wave, and it has some characteristics in common with Rossby waves, but is somewhat faster and can only exist close to the equator (say, within about 5 degrees of latitude around the equator).

El Ninos often start with a Kelvin wave propagating from the western Pacific over towards South America. Perhaps you saw, on the TV news, the movie (produced by JPL) for the El Nino of 1997/98? It showed a whitish blob (indicating a sea level some centimeters higher than usual) moving along the equator from Australia to South America. That's one of the hallmarks of a Kelvin wave, the early part of the El Nino process.

When an El Niño gets going in the middle or eastern part of the Pacific, it creates Rossby waves that drift slowly towards southeast Asia. After several months of travelling, they finally get near the coast and reflect back. The changes in interior ocean temperature that these waves carry with it "cancel out" the original temperature changes that made the El Niño in the first place. I'm being deliberately vague here becuase it's complicated; look at the "For Further Reading" link or the "More Technical Explanation" link for more information. The main point is that it shuts off when the these funny interior-ocean waves travel all the way over to the coast of Asia, get reflected, and travel back, a process that can take many months.

What effects does it have?

A strong El Niño is often associated with wet winters over the southeastern US, as well as drought in Indonesia and Australia. Keep in mind that you aren't guaranteed these effects even though there is an El Niño going on; but the El Niño does make these effects more likely to happen.

How long does it last?

A strong El Niño can last a year or more before conditions return to normal. If you read the bit above about Rossby and Kelvin waves (you did, didn't you?) then you know that it lasts more or less as long as it takes the interior-ocean waves to travel all the way over to the coast of Asia, get reflected, and travel back. You can also look at the Historical El Niño section, which has a plot showing the last 30 years of El Niños, and judge for yourself.

How often do we get them?

El Niños happen irregularly, but if you want to impress people at cocktail parties, you might mention that we usually get one every three to seven years. Note the word "usually": sometimes they turn up more frequently, sometimes less. You can also look at the Historical El Niño section, which has a plot showing the last 30 years of El Niños, and judge for yourself (deja vu).

How well can we predict El Niño?

On average, complex computer models designed to predict El Niño can successfully do so 12 to 18 months in advance. However, it seems to vary by episode; sometimes El Niños are predicted quite well, with plenty of advance notice from the models, while other times they are predicted poorly, with the models not picking them up until the El Niño has already started. Trying to fix up the models is one of our research topics here at Scripps.

LA NINA

·         What is La Niña?

·         A La Niña effect may be defined as a drop in average sea-surface temperatures to more than 0.4 degrees C (0.7 degrees F) below normal, lasting at least six months, across a specified part of the eastern tropical Pacific (5 N- 5 S latitude, 120-170 W longitude).

·         When La Niña forms, the hurricane season is affected as the cooling water creates dramatic changes in the upper-level air currents that play a major role in storm development.

·         Though El Niño caused worldwide weather problems, it also snuffed out hurricanes. Winds 35,000 to 45,000 feet in the atmosphere shifted to come from the west, basically shearing the tops from developing storms.

·         During La Niña, high-level westerly winds either weaken or shift to come from the east, allowing more storms to develop, said Jerry Jarrel, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

·         The 1995 and 1996 hurricane seasons, sandwiching the last La Niña, were the most active back-to-back seasons on record, combining for 20 hurricanes, said Christopher Landsea with the Hurricane Research Division of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

·         In 1957, 1965 and 1991, El Niños disappeared rapidly without La Niñas forming. However, in 1969, 1972 and 1987, La Niñas were in place by July.

·         Even if it is too late to affect a hurricane season, La Niña can have a profound impact on fall and winter weather in Florida and the United States. During one, Florida can expect winter - already a dry season - to be warmer and drier.

·         ``It will be drier with fewer cold fronts and more sunshine,'' Landsea said. ``Four or five months with no rain could have a dramatic effect on the potential for fires.''

·         Some cold fronts still could wander into the state even if temperatures are warmer on average, as expected, Kousky said. ``There will be a lot more variability this winter. Chances are you will experience some colder periods than you had last year.''

·         The northern part of the country can expect a colder winter, he added, while the Midwest can expect less rain or snow. Droughts struck that region in 1988-89 and 1995-96 following La Niñas.

·         ``It accentuates the normal pattern,'' Kousky said. ``Areas that are cold will be colder. Areas that are warm will be warmer.''

·         La Niña conditions may persist for as long as two years.

·         Frequently asked questions

·         What's the difference between La Niña and El Niño?
Both terms refer to large-scale changes in sea-surface temperature across the eastern tropical Pacific. Usually, sea-surface readings off South America's west coast range from the 60s to 70s F, while they exceed 80 degrees F in the "warm pool" located in the central and western Pacific.

·         This warm pool expands to cover the tropics during El Niño, but during La Niña, the easterly trade winds strengthen, cold upwelling off Peru and Ecuador intensifies, and sea-surface temperatures there fall as much as 7 degrees F below normal. Like its counterpart, La Niña tends to peak during the Northern Hemisphere winter. El Niños were present 31% of the time and La Niñas 23% of the time from 1950 to 1997.

·         What are La Niña's main weather and climate impacts worldwide and across the United States?
In many locations, especially in the tropics, La Niña produces the opposite kinds of climate variations from El Niño.

·         For instance, parts of Australia and Indonesia are prone to drought during El Niño but are typically wetter than normal during La Niña. However, there are also more complex U.S. effects due to the influence of the North Atlantic oscillation and other climate variables.

·         Hurricanes:
Hurricanes are more likely to form across the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico during La Niña than El Niño. In fact, the Atlantic's two busiest back-to-back seasons on record -- 1995 and 1996 -- occurred on either side of the last La Niña.

·         Tornadoes:
Despite the intense, frequent tornadoes during this past El Niño spring across the South and East, some research has shown that outbreaks of violent tornadoes east of the Mississippi River are actually more likely during springs that follow La Niña. Examples include the Jumbo Outbreak of April 3-4, 1974, which produced a record 148 tornadoes; the Palm Sunday tornadoes of 1965; and the 76 killer tornadoes (a record) that occurred in 1909.

·         Precipitation:
The southern and central United States tend to be drier than normal during a La Niña winter. Major droughts accompanied the last two La Niñas in the Midwest (1988-89) and southern plains (1995-96). The Pacific Northwest tends to be wetter during La Niña than El Niño.

·         Temperature:
On average, north-south temperature contrasts are increased during La Niña winters. Cooler than normal conditions become more likely across the Northwest and warmer than normal conditions across the South and East.

·         Why haven't we heard much about La Niña before now?
Partly because La Niña's effects on the immediate coast of South America are benign rather than destructive, the phenomenon wasn't recognized until much later than El Niño.

·         Research on La Niña (Spanish for "the girl") began only after the phenomenon was recognized and named in the 1980s. It is also called El Viejo ("the old man") or the anti-El Niño.

·         When have La Niñas occurred?
The answer varies depending on the definition used.

·         According to the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, this century's previous La Niñas began in 1904, 1908, 1910, 1916, 1924, 1928, 1938, 1950, 1955, 1964, 1970, 1973, 1975, 1988, and 1995. These events typically continued into the following spring. Since 1975, La Niñas have been only half as frequent as El Niños.

Lesson 2 Rainbows

After a rain showers, the sunlight or daylight from the sun shines through the clouds. The sunlight then reflect off millions of water raindrop like a mirror splitting the sun's white lights into rays of different  colours  - in this order- 7 different colours

R O Y G B I V

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet

Try this next time during or after a  sudden  shower or  rain on a sunny day, stand with your back to the sun and look for your rainbows.

Lesson 4  CONTINENTS & OCEANS

Are you ready to learn the seven continents and the major bodies of water that surround them!  Get ready to explore many different ways to describe the location of each continent!

About the Continents
Earth is the planet that we all live on.  It is shaped like a gigantic sphere or ball.  There are seven continents on the earth. 

They are North America, South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, Asia, and Europe.  

The Seven Continents' song/poem will help you remember each of these.  Each continent except for Australia and Antarctica is made up of different countries.  Each country is made up of states, and each state is made up of cities and counties.  The continents are surrounded by oceans.  The largest oceans in the world are the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Arctic Ocean.  These large bodies of water are located between the seven continents. 

As you explore this web site, pay close attention to the shapes of each continent.  When viewing the continents, relate the continents with something you are familiar with to help you remember the images.

cardinal directions-  the directions north (N), south (S), east (E), and west (W)
compass rose-  tells you directions, or which way you need to go to get to some place
continent-  one of the seven main land areas on the earth
distance scale-  a scale used to measure the distance or how far something is between two places on a map
equator-  imaginary line that is halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole
hemisphere-  means half of the earth
globe- a model of the Earth that shows us where places are located on our planet
location-  is where something is found
map- a flat picture or drawing of the earth that shows us where places are located on our planet
oceans- a large body of salt water

prime meridian- the great circle which divides the earth in half vertically creating the Eastern and Western Hemispheres


Understanding the Hemispheres
The hemispheres of the earth basically tell you what half of the earth different land masses (Ex. seven continents) are located. 

The Northern Hemisphere is the half of the earth north of the equator, and the Southern Hemisphere is the half of the earth south of the hemisphere. 

OCEANS

EARTH'S OCEANS: An Introduction

 Oceans cover about 70% of the Earth's surface. The oceans contain roughly 97% of the Earth's water supply.

The oceans of Earth are unique in our Solar System. No other planet in our Solar System has liquid water (although recent finds on Mars indicate that Mars may have had some liquid water in the recent past). Life on Earth originated in the seas, and the oceans continue to be home to an incredibly diverse web of life.

The oceans of Earth serve many functions, especially affecting the weather and temperature. They moderate the Earth's temperature by absorbing incoming solar radiation (stored as heat energy). The always-moving ocean currents distribute this heat energy around the globe. This heats the land and air during winter and cools it during summer.

THE OCEANS
The Earth's oceans are all connected to one another. Until the year 2000, there were four recognized oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic. In the Spring of 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization delimited a new ocean, the Southern Ocean (it surrounds Antarctica and extends to 60 degrees latitude).

There are also many seas (smaller branches of an ocean); seas are often partly enclosed by land. The largest seas are the South China Sea, the Caribbean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.

 

Ocean	Area (square miles)	Average Depth (ft)	Deepest depth (ft)
Pacific Ocean	64,186,000	15,215	Mariana Trench, 36,200 ft deep
Atlantic Ocean	33,420,000	12,881	Puerto Rico Trench, 28,231 ft deep
Indian Ocean	28,350,000	13,002	Java Trench, 25,344 ft deep
Southern Ocean	7,848,300 sq. miles (20.327 million sq km )	13,100 - 16,400 ft deep (4,000 to 5,000 meters)	the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench, 23,736 ft (7,235 m) deep
Arctic Ocean	5,106,000	3,953	Eurasia Basin, 17,881 ft deep

Lesson 5 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

United States Map- interactive

• The 50 States, A-Z
  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

Lesson 6    AFRICA   

ENGLISH MAP OF CHINA

Lesson 8   TIDES & LUNAR ECLIPSE

Lesson 10   TBA