Use this post to navigate to specific sites when working in your Science groups.
1. Preparing to Visit Antarctic - What shall I wear? What is it like there?
a. Imagine you are traveling by ship to Antarctica. You will need to pack for your expedition. In your group read the article provided about Antarctic Clothing and list five to ten items they you need to pack for your trip.
Record the information in your science book and label the diagram to show the layers of clothing required (worksheet provided).
Afterwards, dress the Scientist at Discovering Antarctica, so he can work in the cold – check that your diagram has the right layers of clothing.
b. Visit the interactive map of Antarctica at National Geographic to learn about the physical geography of Antarctica.. Click the map to explore and select certain features to investigate further. List five interesting facts that you find.
c. Complete the activity Sizing Up Antarctica at Discovering Antarctica.. Once you have completed that activity, select The World Upside Down and identify the location of Antarctica in relation to other continents.
d. Complete the activity Seasonal Change at Discovering Antarctica.
e. How big would Antarctica be if all the snow and ice melted? Read this answer from a leading scientist. What did the scientist tell you? Record the answer in your Science Books.
2. Why is Antarctica so cold?
Cold, colder coldest
Of all the continents, Antarctica is the coldest, the iciest, the windiest, and the highest in elevation. The average temperature on Antarctic coastal areas is around -12°C. On the icecap the average is -20°C and on the highest mountains the average is -60°C.
Make a table to contrast these temperatures with the average winter temperatures of Mona Vale (coastal), Katoomba in the Blue Mountains (higher elevation near Sydney) and Mt Kosciuszko (highest mountain in Australia).
Find and record in your Science books the following temperatures:
The freezing point of water
the temperature at which human flesh freezes
The coldest temperature recorded in Antarctica
The warmest temperature recorded in Antarctica
The coldest temperature recorded in Sydney
The warmest temperature recorded in Sydney
Human body temperature
The boiling point of water
On the thermometer worksheet, add a range of temperatures to include the above and mark each on the thermometer.
In your Science groups, brainstorm some reasons why Antarctica has such a cold climate. Use the websites below to research the reasons why and create a poster showing your findings to present to the class.
Science Learning
NASA Climate Kids
Windy, windier, windiest
Not only is Antarctica the coldest continent in the world, it is also the windiest. Because Antarctica is dome shaped and has an extremely cold interior, the cold air from the centre flows out and accelerates down the coastal slopes of Antarctica’s ice sheet. These katabatic winds reach more than 80 kilometres per hour as they collide with warmer air from the ocean. This causes severe blizzards, cloud and fog. Strong coastal gales can often reach 190 kilometres per hour and there have been reports of winds of up to 320 kilometres per hour.
Read this letter from an Antarctic explorer describing the winds in Antarctica and this brief article about why Antarctica is so cold. Include a diagram that explains Katabatic Winds on your poster.
Weather Data Collection - What is the current temperature in Antarctica? Ongoing daily observation and collection of weather data (see Assessment below). Add a column to your data graph that shows Sydney's temperature each day as well.
You can find the current temperature at Mawson station here.
2. Why is Antarctica so cold?
Cold, colder coldest
Of all the continents, Antarctica is the coldest, the iciest, the windiest, and the highest in elevation. The average temperature on Antarctic coastal areas is around -12°C. On the icecap the average is -20°C and on the highest mountains the average is -60°C.
Make a table to contrast these temperatures with the average winter temperatures of Mona Vale (coastal), Katoomba in the Blue Mountains (higher elevation near Sydney) and Mt Kosciuszko (highest mountain in Australia).
Find and record in your Science books the following temperatures:
The freezing point of water
the temperature at which human flesh freezes
The coldest temperature recorded in Antarctica
The warmest temperature recorded in Antarctica
The coldest temperature recorded in Sydney
The warmest temperature recorded in Sydney
Human body temperature
The boiling point of water
On the thermometer worksheet, add a range of temperatures to include the above and mark each on the thermometer.
In your Science groups, brainstorm some reasons why Antarctica has such a cold climate. Use the websites below to research the reasons why and create a poster showing your findings to present to the class.
Science Learning
NASA Climate Kids
Windy, windier, windiest
Not only is Antarctica the coldest continent in the world, it is also the windiest. Because Antarctica is dome shaped and has an extremely cold interior, the cold air from the centre flows out and accelerates down the coastal slopes of Antarctica’s ice sheet. These katabatic winds reach more than 80 kilometres per hour as they collide with warmer air from the ocean. This causes severe blizzards, cloud and fog. Strong coastal gales can often reach 190 kilometres per hour and there have been reports of winds of up to 320 kilometres per hour.
Read this letter from an Antarctic explorer describing the winds in Antarctica and this brief article about why Antarctica is so cold. Include a diagram that explains Katabatic Winds on your poster.
Weather Data Collection - What is the current temperature in Antarctica? Ongoing daily observation and collection of weather data (see Assessment below). Add a column to your data graph that shows Sydney's temperature each day as well.
Assessment
From the beginning of the unit students check the temperature in Antarctica at the same time every day for the length of the unit. Students collect data, using a table to record the daily air temperatures, wind speed and rainfall at Mawson Station. At the end of the unit create a graph to display the data using Excel.
You can find the current temperature at Mawson station here.
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