MetLink Activity
20 (for various age groups)
Weather New
and Features
Monday 31 January to
Saturday 4 February 2006
This activity can be adapted for
any age group and is relevant on a global basis.
The aims of this activity are:
+ to use IT skills in finding information.
+ to develop and use research skills
+ to use mapping skills in researching and presenting information
+ to develop an understanding of extreme weather events and how they impact on
human activities and people’s lives.
The Activity:
You need an atlas. If you have access to Microsoft Encarta that would be good.
Or you can use an atlas book. You will also need a large outline map of the
world.
Do you know that each day new weather
news stories and weather feature articles are
listed on the MetLink Homepage? Do you know that each day the weather
extremes (highest and lowest temperatures,
greatest rainfall amounts and strongest winds) recorded by MetLink participants
are available from Data Central, which is accessible via the MetLink home page?
Maybe your school’s observations feature in weather extremes.
Gathered together here in this
activity are all of those items from the week commencing 30 January.
Suggested activities which can be carried out by clicking on the stories and
features listed below:
+Search through the news stories and
using an atlas find where they happened in
the world. Mark their locations on a world outline map and add a picture or
symbol to represent the event.
+ Check out the MetLink resources page for the day and take a look at items
such as satellite images which cover the area where the event has happened. Look at any maps or other
items on the resource page that cover the area of the event.
+ Research the story further by carrying out a web search.
+ Research more about the weather and climate issues involved by carrying out a web search and a library search.
+ Plot on a world outline map the places where the MetLink extremes were
recorded during the week. Make a key to
show the different extremes.
+ Research more about the places that
recorded extremes by using the MetLink Resources links
+To find out more about the climate for each place you wish to research:
Click on the Daily Reviews button on the left of the MetLink Home page.
Click on the day for which you wish to find information.
Click on the daily weather review for the world area where the place is
located.
At the top of the Resources list for that area you will find a link to its
climate. Click on that, which will provide you with a detailed climate overview
of the area.
Underneath this, you will find a list of place names within the area. Select
aplace which will be useful to you in your research and click on that.
+ Look at webcam images: Some MetLink
participants have their own webcam images, and all MetLink participants have a
link to the nearest webcam. Take a look at these webcam images which will give
you more idea of what the place is like. To do this, click on the name of the
participant on the MetLink Extremes page. If the participant has webcam images
a small camera symbol will appear to the left of each day’s data. Click on
that. To see the nearest public webcam to the participant, click on their name
in the page title. That will link you to their details page. Then click on the Cam icon.
Monday 30 January 2006:
MetFlash!
Fires in Australia
MetFlash!
Avoiding dangerous climate change
MetFlash! UK
may be facing drought
MetLink
Extremes for the day
MetLink
Images for the day
Tuesday 31 January 2006:
MetFlash!
Drought in East Africa
MetFlash!
Thick smog in China
MetFlash!
Floods in Bolivia
MetFlash!
Flooding in the Northern Philippines
On this day,
53 years ago
MetFlash!
Cloud patterns in the Bering Sea
MetLink
Extremes for the day
MetLink Images
for the day
Wednesday 1 February 2006:
MetFlash!
Global surface temperatures in 2005
MetLink
Extremes for the day
MetLink
Images for the day
Thursday 2 February 2006:
MetFlash!
Dust and clouds over the Mediterranean Sea
MetFlash!
Smog over the Bay of Bengal
MetFlash!
Fires Near Cape Town
MetFlash!
Flooding in the Northern Philippines
THE UK WINTER
WEATHER FORECAST
2 FEBRUARY IS
GROUNDHOG DAY
MetLink
Extremes for the day
MetLink Images
for the day
Friday 3 February 2006:
MetFlash!
Tropical Cyclone Boloetse
MetFlash!
Rainstorms in Central Australia
MetFlash!
World weather newsfile
MetFlash!
Snow facts....
The railway
at Finse, Norway
MetLink
Extremes for the day
MetLink
Images for the day
Saturday 4 February 2006:
MetFlash!
Tropical Cyclone Boloetse
MetLink Extremes
for the day