Hit Me When It's Hot!

What is the effect of solar energy on Earth's climate or weather? At first it may seem that this is almost difficult to answer. Relax and consider things you may have experienced in life as you try to answer this question.

Points to ponder:

• Do you notice a change in the outside temperature when the sun is shining?
• Does the outdoor temperature change when the skies are covered with clouds?
• As you watch the mountains during a hot summer day, do you see clouds start to build at the mountain top?

To get a better feel for how solar energy is related to Earth's climate and weather, collect the following data. (You may use a news broadcast, printed newspaper, Internet source, or your school's weather station to assist you.) Try to collect the data on the same day of each week.

Analysis:

1. What relationship did you notice between the sunrise/sunset times and the high/low temperatures?
2. How were the temperatures related to the measured precipitation?
3. What large scale phenomenom could the sun affect which would then change your weather data?
   • Research possible topics such as El Nino, La Nina, solar intensity, solar flares

Extension:

Compare your data with that from someone in another county or state. Are there similar relationships between solar activity and weather? What weather areas are different between the two data sources?