Current Events

  • Irish Chronicles Document Links Between Volcanoes and Weather
    A study of over 40,000 written entries in Irish Annals and ice core measurements shows a strong corr...Read more

    x

    Irish Chronicles Document Links Between Volcanoes and Weather

    A study of over 40,000 written entries in Irish Annals and ice core measurements shows a strong correlation between the occurrence of volcanic eruptions and extreme cold weather in Ireland over a 1200 year period. Data analyzed in this study cover the period from 431 to 1649, during which time up to 48 volcanic eruptions are identified in Greenland ice core records through deposition of volcanic sulfate in annual layers of ice. You can find the study (open access), published on 6 June 2013 in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters, at http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/8/2/024035/article. Find out more about how volcanoes can influence climate.
  • EF-5 Tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma Widest Ever Recorded in US
    The EF-5 tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31st was the widest ever recorded in the US, acco...Read more

    x

    EF-5 Tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma Widest Ever Recorded in US

    The EF-5 tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31st was the widest ever recorded in the US, according to the National Weather Service in Norman Oklahoma. The tornado, which remained on the ground for 40 minutes and reached 2.6 miles across (4.2 km), took the lives of 18 people including storm chasers Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras and Carl Young. For more information on the tornado, visit http://ow.ly/i/2hfDG.
  • Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm rep...Read more

    x

    Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm

    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm repeatedly. Daily levels of CO2 can vary due to weather, and there are seasonal trends as well. The level of atmospheric greenhouse gases continues to increase, now over 120 ppm since the Industrial Revolution began. For more on the Keeling Curve, see http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/. Find out more about greenhouse gases and warming.
A student takes an up-close look at the Blue Sky exhibit at the National Center for Atmospheric Research
Courtesy of UCAR

Atmospheric Science Games and Activities

The Clouds in Art Interactive

Atmosphere And Clouds Word Search

Air Quality Word Search (Printable) -- And the Answer Key

Air Quality Word Scramble

Carbon Cycle Game

Climate Crossword Puzzle

Little Shop of Physics Online Experiments

Weather Crossword Puzzle

Interactive Game - Air Defenders

Kids' Global Warming Game

Last modified August 17, 2009 by Lisa Gardiner.

Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!

Learn about Earth and space science, and have fun while doing it! The games section of our online store includes a climate change card game and the Traveling Nitrogen game!

Windows to the Universe Community

News

Opportunities

You might also be interested in:

Atmospheric Science Games and Activities

The Clouds in Art Interactive Atmosphere And Clouds Word Search Air Quality Word Search (Printable) -- And the Answer Key Air Quality Word Scramble Carbon Cycle Game Climate Crossword Puzzle Little Shop...more

Arts and Culture about Clouds, Weather, and Climate

Whether it is how an artist paints the shapes of clouds or how a poet describes a gloomy weather day, there are many ways to connect the arts and culture with clouds, weather, and climate. In this section...more

Clouds

Clouds can come in all sizes and shapes, and can form near the ground or high in the atmosphere. Clouds are groups of tiny water droplets or ice crystals in the sky and are formed by different processes....more

How Hurricanes Form

A thunderstorm in the tropics can grow into a massive hurricane under certain conditions. Sometimes several tropical thunderstorms are able to organize, rotating around a central area of low pressure....more

Hurricane Movement

How do we know which way a hurricane will go? Forecasters track hurricane movements and predict where the storms will travel as well as when and where they will reach land. While each storm will make its...more

Storm Surge

When a hurricane or other tropical storm approaches a coastline, sea level can temporarily rise as much as 20 or 30 feet higher than normal. This is called storm surge. The rising water may totally submerge...more

Regions of the Ionosphere

The ionosphere can be further broken down into the D, E and F regions. The breakdown is based on what wavelength of solar radiation is absorbed in that region most frequently or on what level of radiation...more

Hail

Hail develops in a cumulonimbus cloud from graupel, large frozen raindrops, that are tossed around the cloud by wind. The top of a cumulonimbus cloud reaches to high altitudes where temperatures are cold...more

Shop Windows to the Universe

Earth Science Rocks! Select one of our four cool NESTA t-shirts from our online store, and express your love of Earth and space science!

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation and NASA, our Founding Partners (the American Geophysical Union and American Geosciences Institute) as well as through Institutional, Contributing, and Affiliate Partners, individual memberships and generous donors. Thank you for your support! NASA AGU AGI NSF