Atmosphere Lab Station Activity

Atmosphere Lab Station Activity Purpose: To explore the effects of the coriolis effect and convection on the atmosphere and subsequent wind patterns Lab Station 1: Coriolis Effect Exploration Introduction The Coriolis effect is named after Gustave Gaspard Coriolis, a 19th-century French professor of mechanical engineering. He calculated much of the mathematics behind the effect. The theory explains the apparent deviation in the path of winds and water currents across the earth. Although Coriolis’ interest was in the various forces acting upon rotating pieces of machinery, the Coriolis effect is a topic in earth, environmental, and marine science. The effect can be a tough concept to explain, but it is fairly easy to model. The phenomenon can be demonstrated with a simple and inexpensive balloon activity. Because the earth rotates (from west to east around a north-south axis), paths of objects moving great distances across the earth’s surface are deflected. If a plane left the North Pole, flying south toward Portland, Maine, and maintained that straight-line path for a period of time, the pilot might actually land in Portland, Oregon instead. From the perspective of a person standing in Portland, Maine, who had somehow been able to watch the entire flight, the plane would have veered far to the west, or to the right of the straight path, as seen from the North Pole. Similarly, both Anchorage and Los Angeles rotate once in a 24-hour day. Los Angeles “travels” farther and faster in that time period because it is on a lower latitude. Materials Globe and expo markers Google document to record your answers and notes Directions 1. In your table team get a globe and marker 2. Locate the equator, north pole, and south pole on the globe 3. Hold the globe at eye level (you can hold it from the top while still supported by the table) and rotate the globe from left to right, simulating the rotation of the earth 4. While one partner rotates the globe, the other examines the movement of the earth from the North Pole perspective and from the South Pole perspective. Use your observations to answer questions 1 and 2. 5. While 1 partner continues to rotate the globe steadily from left to right, the other slowly tries to draw a line straight from the North Pole, south to the equator, using an expo marker. 6. Repeat step 5, but now try to draw a straight line from the South Pole, north to the equator as the globe is rotating. Use your observations to answer Questions 3 and 4 Questions 1. As you look from the North Pole toward the equator, is the globe spinning clockwise or counter clockwise? Answer 2. As you look from the South Pole toward the equator, is the globe spinning clockwise or counterclockwise? Answer 3. What happened when you tried to draw a straight line from the North Pole to the equator? Answer 4. What happened when you tried to draw a straight line from the South Pole to the equator? Answer 5. Predict what would happen if you again drew lines in the northern and southern hemispheres but with the earth rotating in the opposite direction. Answer Sense Making Watch the following videos to make sense of what you learned a. Coriolis Effect Sci Show - video b. The Coriolis Effect Explained - video