Lesson 2 : Lab

Time Required:

Determine whether it’s possible for two cities at the same latitude to have different climates. Over the course of six days, students investigate the impact that latitude, ocean currents, heat, and geography have on a region’s climate. They will use evidence from their investigations to support their findings.

MS-ESS2-6

Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how patterns vary by latitude, altitude, and geographic land distribution. Emphasis of atmospheric circulation is on the sunlight driven latitudinal banding, the Coriolis effect, and resulting prevailing winds; emphasis of ocean circulation is on the transfer of heat by the global ocean convection cycle, which is constrained by the Coriolis effect and the outlines of continents. Examples of models can be diagrams, maps and globes, or digital representations.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include the dynamics of the Coriolis effect.]