Table of Contents Teacher Lessons Implementation Assistance
 

Lesson #5 : Elevation and Temperature

Overview

Students will compare weather data for locations at different elevations to discover the effect that elevation has on temperature. 

Objectives

After completing this unit, students will be able to:

  • Make a statement about the correlation between elevation and temperature.
  • Investigate how elevation affects the weather in a particular region. 
  • Make generalizations about a particular region’s weather based upon its  location.
Materials
  • Small maps or atlases 
  • Wall map
  • Note: Students must have access to maps that show elevation
  • Weather Learning Log
Time: One class period (approximately 45 minutes) for each activity

Teacher preparation

  • Bookmark the sites listed in Activities #1 and # 2. 
  • Depending on the ability level of your students, you may want to preselect  cities for the students to use in Activity #1. Choose locations that are not near large bodies of water
  • Check on the most recent temperature readings for Boulder and Columbus. There should be a noticeable temperature difference between the two cities.  For example: the daytime temperature on 11/23/99 was 70oF/21oC for Columbus and 25oF/-3.8oC for Boulder. 
Procedures

Activity #1 Do higher elevations have lower temperatures?
For this activity, do the following:

  1. Use a wall map to show the students the locations of  Columbus OH (744 ft./227m) and Boulder CO(5,344ft./1629m).  Note that the latitude is the same for both (approximately 40oN). Ask:
    • Are these cities the same distance from the equator?
    • Is either one near a large body of water that would affect the temperature?
    • Can you make a prediction about the weather of these two cities?
  2. Have the students access the Weather Underground and record the current temperatures for Boulder and Columbus. Boulder's temperature should be considerably lower. Ask the students to discuss possible reasons for the difference in temperature.
  3. Have students find Boulder and Columbus on a map that shows elevation.  They should observe the difference in elevation between the two cities.
  4. Have the students make predictions about the temperature of cities that may be near one another, but at different elevations.
  5. Have students work in small groups using their desk maps and atlases to find a place with a high elevation. Next, they should find a place nearby at a lower elevation and use the Weather Underground to find and record the temperature of each. Note: more able students may use How Far Is It? to see the exact elevations of the locations that they have chosen.
  6. Have students share their findings and conclusions in a whole class discussion.
  7. Give the students time to access and read the information on the following USAToday weather sites which illustrate, with examples from several states, that higher elevations have lower temperatures:
    Arizona and California
    Colorado, North Carolina, New Hampshire
    Utah
  8. Have students answer the question, "Do higher elevations mean lower temperatures?" in their Weather Learning Logs.
Activity # 2 Weather Cams
For this activity, do the following:
  1. Have the students access the Weather Cam at the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire. Ask:
    • What is the elevation of Mount Washington?( 6,288 ft./1917m)
    • What is the current temperature?
    • How are the temperature and the elevation related?
    • If you were to start at the summit and hike down Mount Washington, what do you think you'd notice about the temperature as you got closer to the base?
  2. Have the students access USA's Coldest Spots  which lists the record low temperature and the elevation where it occurred for each state. They may be surprised to see that a temperature of 12oF /-11oC was recorded in Hawaii. They will notice that more than twenty of the places listed have elevations over 2,000 ft./610m.  Give the students time to explore independently or in small groups weather cam sites for these locations, as well as others that they studied in Activity #1.  Use the following links:
    University of Michigan Weather Cam
    Earth Cam


Extension Activity

Direct students to the site Facts About Mount Washington.  Tell them to read the section entitled "Home of the World's Worst Weather" and then write an entry in their Weather Learning Log on how Mount Washington got its nickname.


 
 

 

 
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