MetLink Activity
38 (for various age groups)
Weather New
and Features
Monday 6
February to Friday 10 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 6 February.
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 a
place 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 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 6 February 2006:
+ Nuijamaa,
south-east Finland, near the Finland-Russia border, 12:59 LocalTime (10:59UTC) 6
February 2006. Air temperature minus 19.8°C.
+ MetFlash!
Drought threatens UK river life
+ Temperature
records broken in northern India
+ Drought in
northern India
+ MetLink
extremes for the day
+ MetLink
images for the day
Tuesday 7 February 2006:
+ MetFlash! Smog
over India
+ MetFlash!
Fire east of Los Angeles
+ MetFlash!
Fires near Cape Town
+ MetFlash!
Tropical Cyclone Boloetse fades
+ MetLink
extremes for the day
+ MetLink images
for the day
Wednesday 8 February 2006:
+ MetFlash!
Snow in E China
+ MetFlash!
Extreme temperatures in January, 2006
+ More news
from northern India – the economic impact of winter warmth
+ MetLink
extremes for the day
+ MetLink images
for the day
Thursday 9 February 2006:
+ Sounding real
cool!
+ MetFlash!
Fires east of Los Angeles
+ MetFlash!
Dust storm off Egypt
+ MetFlash!
Pitsford Hall - Weather PowerPoint
+ MetFlash!
Malta storms 1 Feb, 2006
+ MetLink extremes
for the day
+ MetLink
images for the day
Friday 10 February 2006:
+ MetFlash! Fires
in S California
+ MetFlash!
Sandstorms in Iraq
+ MetFlash!
Climate 'warmest for millennium'
+ MetLink
extremes for the day
+ MetLink images
for the day