It’s everywhere! No wonder we have a preoccupation with weather! This course brings weather alive with clearly explained texts supported by colorful illustrations and graphics. The course covers the history of weather, including critical scientific breakthroughs and the people who brought understanding to our climate’s rich and varied 4.5 billion-year history. Topics include how the sun causes weather, why the wind blows, storm fronts, what makes it rain, how forecasts are made, weather extremes (hurricanes, tornados floods, drought), predicting weather and the greenhouse effect, and more. Meteorological milestones of Earth’s climate, from prehistory to today’s headlines and tomorrow’s forecasts, are also traced. Other topics include Earth's first atmosphere, the physics of rainbows, the deadliest hailstorm, Groundhog Day, the invention of air conditioning, London’s Great Smog, the Year Without Summer, our increasingly strong hurricanes, polar vortex, and the Paris Agreement on climate change. Additional relevant topics include the effects of weather on health and Cloud Atlases to Climate Change, which explores the atmosphere’s evolution, the scientists who tried to make sense of it, and the complex and sometimes-turbulent relationship between people, politics, and the elements.
This course is applicable towards the following certificates:
*Basic Biology for the Classroom
*Physical Science for the Classroom