Curated OER
Earth's Atmosphere and Temperature
Students explore the layers of earth's atmosphere and conduct an experiment to identify carbon dioxide. They construct models using styrofoam to represent molecules in the atmosphere's layers. To discover how sunlight efffects...
Curated OER
Chasing El Nino
In this El Nino learning exercise, students review this specific change in the climate cycle by completing 20 short answer questions.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: A Five Day View of the Jet Stream
This animation from NOVA Online lets you examine a five-day view of the jet stream.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: Tomorrow's Forecast: Oceans and Weather [Pdf]
A lesson unit for Grades 4-9 on how the ocean affects climate and weather. Includes worksheets (also in Spanish) and maps.
Other
California Regional Weather Server: Jet Stream Analyses and Forecasts
California Regional Weather Service provides the latest jet stream analyses and forecasts for the Northern Hemisphere, Eastern Pacific & Western North America, North America, North Atlantic, and the Southern Hemisphere.
Other
Met Office: What Is Jet Stream?
The jet stream consists of ribbons of very strong winds which move weather systems around the globe. Jet streams are found 9-16 km above the surface of the Earth, just below the tropopause, and can reach speeds of 200 mph.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Our Solar System
This interactive tutorial will take students on a tour of our solar system. Students begin near the Sun with the really hot planets of Mercury and Venus. They will learn about Mars, probably the first planet that humans will visit. Next...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Giving Rise to the Jet Stream
This interactive activity from NOVA Online uses animation and graphics to offer a detailed explanation of the jet stream. A thorough account is given of the role played by the Sun's heat and Earth's shape and rotation, among other factors.
University of Wisconsin
The Why Files: Hot Water Battle
Have you noticed your winter weather changing each year? Both global warming and El Nino are most likely the cause. Read here about these two major ingredients changing the world around us.
PBS
Nova: Jet Stream Frequently Asked Questions
This resource answers the six most frequently asked questions about the jet stream.
USA Today
Usa Today: Jet Stream Roars Along High Above Earth
A good explanation of the jet stream is offered with links to other related information.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Vanished: Inside the Jet Stream: Giving Rise to the Jet Stream
Explore what generates a jet stream, and discover why they flow from west to east. A link is offered in this site to a helpful animation describing the jet stream process.
Idaho State University
Global Wind Systems [Pdf]
A great description of the global scale circulation and heat energy. Discusses a single-cell model, a three-cell model, jet streams and more.
NOAA
Noaa: Weather Systems and Patterns
Imagine our weather if Earth were completely motionless, had a flat dry landscape and an un-tilted axis. This, of course, is not the case; if it were, the weather would be much different. The local weather that impacts our daily lives...
National Weather Service
National Weather Service: Jet Stream: The Jet Stream
The concept of jet streams is explained on this site. Read about why jet stream winds blow from west to east, what the polar jet and subtropical jet are, the role that the rotation of the Earth plays, etc.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Global Wind Belts
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Describes how regional differences in solar radiation create global wind belts.
Weather Wiz Kids
Weather Wiz Kids: Wind
Wind is air in motion. It is produced by the uneven heating of the earth's surface by the sun. Since the earth's surface is made of various land and water formations, it absorbs the sun's radiation unevenly. Two factors are necessary to...
PBS
Nova: A Five Day View of the Jet Stream
This animated 5 day forecast for the jet stream shows wind direction and wind speed. The forecast was generated on January 1, 2001 by the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center.
Other
Live Science: What Is a Jet Stream?
Jet streams are like rivers of wind high above in the atmosphere. These slim strips of strong winds have a huge influence on climate, as they can push air masses around and affect weather patterns.