1. OBJECTIVES OF TODAY’S ACTIVITY
TOPIC: Circulation in the Atmosphere and Oceans
After today’s activity, you will be able to:
Describe how energy drives movement and change in the hydrosphere and atmosphere. You should also be able to predict circulation in the atmosphere and hydrosphere may change due to global warming.
Both groups

2. CASUAL PRINCIPLES
1. Gravitational energy, thermal energy, and/or chemical energy drive all movement and change of matter on Earth.
3. Matter moves and changes to return a system to equilibrium.
5. Temperature is a measure of the movement of molecules. Higher temperature means molecules are moving faster.
6. When molecules move faster, the density of most substances decreases. Water is anomaly because liquid water is more dense than ice.
7. Buoyancy causes materials to rise or fall due to the relative density of materials.
Both groups

3. Demonstration: Circulation
Videos about temperature-drive circulation of fluids.
Both groups

4. Background: Temperature and Density
Circulation:
The movement of material due to differences in those materials.
Q. How will temperature cause differences in density?
A. Increasing temperature causes molecules to move faster, spread out and for the density of decrease.

5. Background: Atmospheric Circulation
Q. What happens in the atmosphere when one place is heated more than another place?
Experimental group
A. Air in the warmer regions will rise due to the decreased density, and colder places will sink due to increased density.

6. Background: Density of Saline Water
Q. What happens to the density of water if salt is added?
Experimental group
A. Salt water is more dense than fresh water because there are NaCl molecules mixed with the H2O.

7. Background: Haline Circulation
Q. What will happen in a system where there is lower density fresh water and higher density salt water?
Experimental group
Salt water sinks and fresh water stays in the upper layer.

8. Source: Lava Lamp
There are features of the lava lamp that correspond to the basic principles we use to explain movement and change.
Lava lamp
Principle
Hot and cold regions
Heat from light bulb
Two fluids
Spherical and cylindrical masses of circulating fluid
Experimental group

9. Target: Atmospheric Circulation
There are features of the atmosphere that correspond to the basic principles we use to explain movement and change.
Atmosphere
Principle
Hot and cold regions
Heat from the ground
Hot and cold air
Hadley cells
Experimental group

10. Alignment: Comparing Lava Lamp & Atmosphere
There are features of the lava lamp and atmospheric circulation that correspond to the basic principles we use to explain movement and change.
Lava lamp
Atmosphere
Principle
Hot and cold regions
Heat from light bulb
Heat from the ground
Two fluids
Hot and cold air
Spherical and cylindrical masses of circulating fluid
Hadley cells
Experimental group

11. Differences: Comparing Lava Lamp & Atmosphere
There are features of the lava lamp and atmospheric circulation that don’t correspond to the basic principles we use to explain movement and change.
Lava Lamp
Difference
Atmosphere
Electricity  Light bulb
Solar radiation Ground
Experimental group

12. Group work & Homework: Circulation
Part 2 : Thermohaline Circulation
Work in your groups to reason out the relationship between atmosphere and ocean circulation.
Fill out the Group Worksheet to turn in at the end of class.
Part 3: Homework
If you complete your group work, you may start the homework.
Please work on your own. This means your answers should be generally unique from other students.
Turn in the homework using ANGEL.