AOS Investigation Kit

Understanding Earth's Atmosphere and Ocean: AOS Investigation Kit

This all-inclusive educational kit provides 10 investigations including more than 25 activities that explore basic topics in meteorology and oceanography, detailed below. Completing these inquiry-based investigations allow you to observe properties of the ocean and atmosphere first hand. They can be used as a supplement to any of the AMS courses or alone as a classroom aid or study tool.

Lesson 1: Air Pressure Systems

Kit Materials: The Hand-Twist Model & Podcast

  • "The Hand Twist Model: High and Low Pressure Systems"

 

Lesson 2: Air Pressure Systems continued

Kit Materials: Pressure Blocks, Contouring Plastic Strips & Podcast

  • "What is Pressure?"
  • "Atmospheric Pressure Changes with Height"
  • "Constant Air Pressure Surfaces"
  • "Ocean Surface Currents"
  • "Meanders and Ocean Rings"

 

Lesson 3: Pressure-Temperature Relationships & Make a Cloud!

Kit Materials: Temperature Strip

  • "Air Pressure and Temperature Relationships"
  • "Making Clouds Appear and Disappear"

 

Lesson 4: Dew Point, Humidity & Supercooled Water

Kit Materials: 4 Thermometers

  • "Wet Bulb Temperature"
  • "Dewpoint and Relative Humidity"
  • "Supercooling Water"

 

Lesson 5: ¡El Niño! - ¡La Niña!

Kit Materials: ¡El Niño! - ¡La Niña! Slider

  • "The Tropical Pacific During Neutral Conditions"
  • "The Tropical Pacific During ¡El Niño!"
  • "The Tropical Pacific During ¡La Niña!"

 

Lesson 6: Ocean Wave Characteristics

Kit Materials: Wave Analyzer Slide Chart

 

Lesson 7: Ocean Characteristics

Kit Materials: Inflatable World Globe, Tide Model Bulge Pages

  • "Exploring Locations on Earth"
  • "Wind Driven Ocean Circulations and Gyres"
  • "Tides"
  • "Upwelling and Ocean Productivity"
  • "Plate Tectonics"
  • "Tsunamis"

 

Lesson 8: Surface Weather: Pressure Gradient Force & Coriolis Effect

Kit Materials: Coriolis Effect Card Stock Page

 

Lesson 9: Understanding Radar

Kit Materials: Radar Cardstock Page

  • "Constructing a Radar Screen"
  • "Interpreting a Radar Display"

 

Lesson 10: The Stories Clouds Tell

Kit Materials: “The Stories Clouds Tell” book

  • "What is a Cloud?"
  • "Types of Clouds"

The Certified AMS Teacher (CAT) Program was established by the AMS to recognize and support educators actively engaged in raising Earth science literacy. CAT specifically connects K-12 educators to AMS, which strengthens their connection to the atmospheric science community and its resources.

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