What is Climate?

Weather versus climate: weather relates to short time periods while climate averages the weather of a period of many years. Scholars learn about average temperature and precipitation in various climate zones and then apply statistics...

Here is a lesson on the climate zones and geography of Arkansas. In it, learners look at maps (embedded) of different climate zones found throughout Arkansas. They engage in discussions regarding how global warming and climate change is...

What factors make up climate? How does longitude and latitude affect climate? What is causing Earth's climate to change? These questions are the topic of a presentation that explains characteristics of climate and climate change.

The United States is a large country with many different climates. Graph and analyze temperature and rainfall data for Sacramento and Washington DC as you teach your class about the characteristics of Mediterranean climates. Discuss the...

Young scientists explore climate change by taking a look at many different disciplines. They hear from scientists who study soil, clouds, ice cores, ocean temperatures, and more. Then, they search public databases to draw their own...

Polar ice samples provide scientists with valuable information about the condition of the atmosphere for hundreds of thousands of years in the past. Of particular interest is the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and its...

Do meteorologists and climate scientists use the same tools? The final lesson in a 13-part series on Exploring Energy compares and contrasts climate and weather. It describes the scientists who study each, the tools they use, their...

Students get a first hand look at the benefit of a "blubber layer" in cold climates through a simulation using vegetable shortening and icy water. Through this simulation, students examine how adaptations help organisms survive.

What was our world like 57 million years ago? Due to recent drilling in the North Pole, we can actually tell that the temperature was significantly warmer. What is causing this climate change? Will there be a north pole in 100 years?...

Climate systems involve sunlight, ocean, atmosphere, ice, land forms, and many other factors. Scholars explore each of these variables related to the Pacific Northwest rain forest. They use an online interactive to investigate the polar...