For Activity 1, we had to measure the "heat absorbed" by 3 different materials in pie pans. The materials were water, dirt, and sand. Our results were normal and as expected. The water rose and fell in temperature the slowest. Dirt and sand were about equal, both absorbing heat and cooling off fairly quickly. No material behaved out of the normal.
For Activity 4, we had to measure the heat inside 3 different "atmospheres". These "atmospheres" were bottles with different environmental qualities to them. The different materials played as different roles. The bottle played as the atmosphere, the paint played as clouds, and the water played as itself, or if you will an ocean/lake. The results were really suprising. Our bottle had all 3 of these qualities mentioned, and the temperature barely fluctuated at all. The temperature inside rose in the beggining at a steady pace upwards, but after roughly halfway through, it stopped. There was no change at all. I figured the temperature would rise inside because it was being baked by the light, or "heat source". The "clouds" must have done a good job reflecting the light.
These climate activities do show Earth's climate on a small scale fairly well. The big picture, however, is still way different in the actual breakdown of climate effects. Overall, small variables, small results. My climate topic is lightning. This would be a VERY hard topic, impossible really, to develop in "the lab". The only experiment you could do would be to test on particles in clouds getting charges on them, both positive and negative (recipe for lightning). No one could make a lightning cloud in the lab.
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LIGHTNING
Lightning strikes all over the world, very numerously in fact. Satellite data suggests there are "3 million lightning flashes worldwide per day". It can happen anywhere there is a storm cloud brewing.(4)
Storm clouds are generally cumulonimbus clouds. These are massive, towering clouds often reaching high in the atmosphere. They usually form when a cold front meets a warm front. The air also has to be moist enough for the clouds to form. Inside the clouds there are strong updrafts. This is the start of how lightning is made. (3)
The exact science how lightning is made is a mystery. There a few theories, but perhaps the most popular one involves ice particles. When a cumulonimbus cloud reaches a precipitation capacity, water is carried up the cloud by the updrafts. Here the water collides with ice particles in the upper portions of the cloud. These collisions supposedly create a charge, which the negative portion going towards the bottom of the cloud and the positive towards the top. The difference in charge becomes too great, and thus, lightning is born. (1)
To summarize, for lightning to exist, there must be a cumulonimbus cloud. Inside the water must collide with enough ice particles to make a great enough charge. If a cumulonimbus cloud produces lightning, then it is classified as a "thunderstorm". (3)
On a side note, lightning ALWAYS exists with thunder. (1)
Technology does exist that detects lightning, but it is hard to predict lightning, for it is random. The detected lighting is almost always CG (cloud-to-ground) Lightning detectors have been in place in the US since the 70s. These antennae detectors are hundreds of kilometers apart and detect the radio-frequency pulses that lightning gives off. The location is where the vectors intersect. Since 1994, this system is one combined network run by Global Atmospherics Inc. These instruments provide lightning strike indicators to provide early storm intelligence and give people an early heads up. (4)
It is estimated that $4-5 billion damages occur each year because of lightning. Money spent to safeguard sensitive equipment from lightning damages is also enormous. Between the years 1979-2008, lightning killed an average of 58 people each year. Lightning can travel through a power line to an electrical appliance, and anyone using that appliance. It can also travel through plumbing pipes and water to a person in contact with either of those, examples primarily being shower and bath. One out of 5 lightning strike victims die, and 70% of the lucky survivors suffer serious long-term after effects. (4)
Lightning also affects the environment around us greatly. Forest fires are generally caused by lightning strikes to a dense group of trees. Power outages can be traced back to lightning hitting a power grid. However, not all the affects of lightning are negative. Lightning maintains the Earth's electricial balance. It returns the negative charges back to the Earth. Lightning also produces o-zone, which is necessary for the Earth's protection against the sun's harmful UV rays. (1)
1) "About Lightning..." http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/. 8 Feb. 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2010
2) Bellante, Anthony. "How Lightning Is Formed." http://www.helium.com/. Web. 28 Oct. 2010
3) "Cumulonimbus Clouds." University of Illinois. http://www.atmos.uiuc.edu/. 7 Aug. 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2010
4) Henson, Bob. "Lightning:FAQ." http://www.ucar.edu/ 5 Apr. 2000. Web. 28 Oct. 2010
http://www.maniacworld.com/lightning-strike-in-tree.html
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/faq/faq_ltg.php/
http://www.helium.com/items/1522307-how-lightning-is-formed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLJ6oqToKrc&feature=related
Storm clouds are generally cumulonimbus clouds. These are massive, towering clouds often reaching high in the atmosphere. They usually form when a cold front meets a warm front. The air also has to be moist enough for the clouds to form. Inside the clouds there are strong updrafts. This is the start of how lightning is made. (3)
The exact science how lightning is made is a mystery. There a few theories, but perhaps the most popular one involves ice particles. When a cumulonimbus cloud reaches a precipitation capacity, water is carried up the cloud by the updrafts. Here the water collides with ice particles in the upper portions of the cloud. These collisions supposedly create a charge, which the negative portion going towards the bottom of the cloud and the positive towards the top. The difference in charge becomes too great, and thus, lightning is born. (1)
To summarize, for lightning to exist, there must be a cumulonimbus cloud. Inside the water must collide with enough ice particles to make a great enough charge. If a cumulonimbus cloud produces lightning, then it is classified as a "thunderstorm". (3)
On a side note, lightning ALWAYS exists with thunder. (1)
Technology does exist that detects lightning, but it is hard to predict lightning, for it is random. The detected lighting is almost always CG (cloud-to-ground) Lightning detectors have been in place in the US since the 70s. These antennae detectors are hundreds of kilometers apart and detect the radio-frequency pulses that lightning gives off. The location is where the vectors intersect. Since 1994, this system is one combined network run by Global Atmospherics Inc. These instruments provide lightning strike indicators to provide early storm intelligence and give people an early heads up. (4)
It is estimated that $4-5 billion damages occur each year because of lightning. Money spent to safeguard sensitive equipment from lightning damages is also enormous. Between the years 1979-2008, lightning killed an average of 58 people each year. Lightning can travel through a power line to an electrical appliance, and anyone using that appliance. It can also travel through plumbing pipes and water to a person in contact with either of those, examples primarily being shower and bath. One out of 5 lightning strike victims die, and 70% of the lucky survivors suffer serious long-term after effects. (4)
Lightning also affects the environment around us greatly. Forest fires are generally caused by lightning strikes to a dense group of trees. Power outages can be traced back to lightning hitting a power grid. However, not all the affects of lightning are negative. Lightning maintains the Earth's electricial balance. It returns the negative charges back to the Earth. Lightning also produces o-zone, which is necessary for the Earth's protection against the sun's harmful UV rays. (1)
1) "About Lightning..." http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/. 8 Feb. 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2010
2) Bellante, Anthony. "How Lightning Is Formed." http://www.helium.com/. Web. 28 Oct. 2010
3) "Cumulonimbus Clouds." University of Illinois. http://www.atmos.uiuc.edu/. 7 Aug. 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2010
4) Henson, Bob. "Lightning:FAQ." http://www.ucar.edu/ 5 Apr. 2000. Web. 28 Oct. 2010
http://www.maniacworld.com/lightning-strike-in-tree.html
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/faq/faq_ltg.php/
http://www.helium.com/items/1522307-how-lightning-is-formed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLJ6oqToKrc&feature=related
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