The Whipped Topping Ozone Demo

A hole in the ozone layer develops over Antarctica every September-November. But why care - nobody lives there? This week's resource is a demonstration that helps students understand how the hole affects the ozone layer over the rest of the world. All that you need is some whipped topping, a little red food coloring, a couple plastic lids, and some kitchen utensils.CLICK HERE to read the instructions and see the photos.

Animations Help Students Understand Tides

CLICK HERE to see a series of tide animations provided by Coastal Carolina University. The first demonstrates that the Earth-Moon system has a center of gravity (called the barycenter), the second shows the inertial tide, and the final shows the gravitational tide.

The second is provided by NOVA (PBS). CLICK HERE and then select "Launch Interactive".

CLICK HERE to read about the day in our nation's history when tides and moon phases were crucial to what happened. Finally, CLICK HERE to see a related problem-solving activity.

Mesmerizing Wind Animation

This week's resource is a "real-time wind animation" provided by HINT.FM. The animation uses computer models to compile data on wind speed and direction in the US and then overlays the wind flow on a map. Google recommends using its Chrome web browser to get the best results. CLICK HERE to see the animation. Project it onto a large screen to have students look for patterns and determine the location of highs and lows based on wind direction. Check with a current weather map to find out if they've gotten it right. CLICK HERE to see a good surface map for comparison.

Here's another good current wind map: www.wunderground.com

To view a convenient list of all the resources that have been posted on this "Earth Science Guy" blog site, CLICK HERE.