Exploration 2
Part A: Extreme Weather Events Around the Globe
***To print this exploration and record your responses, download this PDF document .***
- Locate and label the seven continents, Greenland, China, India, Brazil, and the following oceans (Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and the Southern, also known as the Antarctic) on the world map.
- The 2012 World Resources Institute reports a list of extreme events that have occurred over the past year. Locate the following extreme events on the world map provided.
The locations are bolded. Write the number of the event listed below on your world map. Make a legend to code the events as a heatwave, drought, tropical cyclone/hurricane, flood, or cold wave/snow.
Part B: Recent Extreme Weather Events
- The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) is a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NCDC has the largest collection of weather data. You can go to this site to learn more about recent weather-related events and climate anomalies, which are differences between the average climate and the climate during a specific month or season.
- To begin, go to: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cmb-faq/
- Choose State of the Climate from the left menu.
- Choose Global Analysis, 2014, and Annual.
- Click on Submit. The report will display below on the screen.
- Scroll down to see the map of 2014 Significant Climate Anomalies and Events.
- Click on the link beneath the map to enlarge it.
- Click on the image to enlarge it. (If this doesn’t work, under the view menu at the top of your computer screen, use zoom to make the print larger. )
- Using this report, describe three interesting events that occurred on three different continents.
- Follow the procedure above to obtain the most recent month’s State of the Climate report.
