Kids Corner
Kindergarten to 5th Grade
How are storms different between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere?
Earth from a perspective of latitude is divided into two hemispheres which include the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. Storms moved differently in these two hemispheres due to the Earth spinning on its axis and the opposing presence of the Coriolis Effect.
The Coriolis Effect is the natural phenomenon which influences the spin and curvature of weather systems which exist for a minimum of 3 days or more. The Coriolis Effect occurs as a direct result of the tilt of Earth’s axis as it revolves in its annual orbit around Earth’s Sun.
In the Northern Hemisphere, a low-pressure system spins in a counter-clockwise direction (cyclonic flow) and a high-pressure system spins in a clockwise direction (anti-cyclonic flow).
However, in the Southern Hemisphere, a low-pressure system spins clockwise (or anti-cyclonic flow) and a high-pressure system spins counter-clockwise (or cyclonic flow).
The Coriolis Effect is the natural phenomenon which influences the spin and curvature of weather systems which exist for a minimum of 3 days or more. The Coriolis Effect occurs as a direct result of the tilt of Earth’s axis as it revolves in its annual orbit around Earth’s Sun.
In the Northern Hemisphere, a low-pressure system spins in a counter-clockwise direction (cyclonic flow) and a high-pressure system spins in a clockwise direction (anti-cyclonic flow).
However, in the Southern Hemisphere, a low-pressure system spins clockwise (or anti-cyclonic flow) and a high-pressure system spins counter-clockwise (or cyclonic flow).
Credit: PBS NOVA
How does a rainbow form?
Any time after it rains on a typical Spring or Summer-time day, there is a chance that you may find some very interesting things to look at up in the sky. One such feature which you may be lucky enough to find is a rainbow.
A rainbow forms when light changes direction as it is passing through raindrops which are falling through a certain layer of the atmosphere or when light changes the direction it is moving as it passes through leftover moisture in the atmosphere from recent precipitation.
To be more exact, the sunlight hits the raindrop and bounces off the raindrop’s surface. When this happens, the sunlight color spectrum is broken up into seven different colors (i.e., the seven colors which make up the typical color spectrum that includes red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet).
This break-up of the sunlight's color spectrum happens as a result of the reflected light travelling along a set path and also when the reflected light keeps the angle of reflection which causes the rainbow that you can see if real life.
To break this down a little more, the angle of reflection is best defined as the mathematical angle at which the sunlight moving towards or away from the surface of the Earth reflects off of given raindrops leftover from recent precipitation.
In short, a rainbow is a bunch of raindrops in the atmosphere that act like a prism and divides the light into roughly 7 colors.
A rainbow forms when light changes direction as it is passing through raindrops which are falling through a certain layer of the atmosphere or when light changes the direction it is moving as it passes through leftover moisture in the atmosphere from recent precipitation.
To be more exact, the sunlight hits the raindrop and bounces off the raindrop’s surface. When this happens, the sunlight color spectrum is broken up into seven different colors (i.e., the seven colors which make up the typical color spectrum that includes red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet).
This break-up of the sunlight's color spectrum happens as a result of the reflected light travelling along a set path and also when the reflected light keeps the angle of reflection which causes the rainbow that you can see if real life.
To break this down a little more, the angle of reflection is best defined as the mathematical angle at which the sunlight moving towards or away from the surface of the Earth reflects off of given raindrops leftover from recent precipitation.
In short, a rainbow is a bunch of raindrops in the atmosphere that act like a prism and divides the light into roughly 7 colors.
What are the different seasons? How are they different from the Northern and Southern Hemisphere?
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"Figure 6h-2: Position of the equinoxes, solstices, aphelion, and perihelion relative to the Earth's orbit around the Sun. The equinoxes and solstices should be 90º apart in the ecliptic plane." PhysicalGeography.net
"Figure 6h-3: The Earth’s rotational axis is tilted 23.5° from the red line drawn perpendicular to the ecliptic plane. This tilt remains the same anywhere along the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. Seasons are appropriate only for the Northern Hemisphere." PhysicalGeography.net
"Figure 6h-4: Annual change in the position of the Earth in its revolution around the Sun. In this graphic, we are viewing the Earth from a position in space that is above the North Pole (yellow dot) at the summer solstice, the winter solstice, and the two equinoxes. Note how the position of the North Pole on the Earth's surface does not change. However, its position relative to the Sun does change and this shift is responsible for the seasons. The red circle on each of the Earths represents the Arctic Circle (66.5 degrees N). During the June solstice, the area above the Arctic Circle is experiencing 24 hours of daylight because the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees toward the Sun. The Arctic Circle experiences 24 hours of night when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the Sun in the December solstice. During the two equinoxes, the circle of illumination cuts through the polar axis and all locations on the Earth experience 12 hours of day and night. Seasons are appropriate only for the Northern Hemisphere." PhysicalGeography.net
