May Thunderstorms
	12:19pm Tue 6 May 08
	May ThunderstormsIn May a very warm or a hot spell usually occurs. Sometimes the Spanish Plume pumps northward on a southerly wind flow bringing temperatures in the range of 25-30c 77-86f.

	Ocean Currents and Climate
	12:26pm Mon 28 Apr 08
	Warm and cold ocean currents can change the climate of coastal regions, but only when prevailing local winds blow from the sea to land.

	Ice Core Records
	12:50pm Tue 22 Apr 08
	The climate is constantly changing, we can find evidence all around us of different climates of the past.

	The Moving Earth
	11:37am Tue 15 Apr 08
	The Earth's crust is made from rock called "plates" which move in relation to one another. The seven larger plates, include the North American, African, and Eurasian plates, and many smaller ones such as the Caribbean and Arabian plates.

	Acid Rain
	11:16am Mon 7 Apr 08
	Some years ago Acid Rain was top of the agenda, even more so than Global Warming. It was stated that due to man made pollution, our water source from all precipitation was increasingly becoming acid.

	Snow and Sleet
	11:26am Mon 31 Mar 08
	On the near Continent snow is dry in nature and causes less problems than in Britain. Lower temperatures and drier air makes the snow powdery, it is easily blown off roads by snow blowers.

	Dew and Water Vapour
	10:59am Tue 25 Mar 08
	The air is never completely dry, even in the driest parts of our globe like the deserts, the air contains water vapour.

	Atmospheric Phenomena
	11:38am Mon 17 Mar 08
	On many occasions if you are looking skyward, we can witness beautiful Atmospheric Phenomena, from unusual shapes, lights to colours and cloud formations.

	Microclimates
	2:46pm Mon 10 Mar 08
	In the countryside and within our gardens we have microclimates. Animals make use of these areas and often need them to survive. When we experience severe winter weather, many small animals finds ways to stay alive.

	How plants adapt to climates
	11:04am Tue 4 Mar 08
	Without sunlight, precipitation and the correct temperature, life as we know it would not exist.

	The Atmosphere
	12:25pm Wed 27 Feb 08
	Weather occurs in the lowest part of the atmosphere which we call the "troposphere". In this area the air contains water vapour and clouds which produce our weather, and the temperature falls with height.

	Pressure and the Weather
	12:37pm Mon 18 Feb 08
	Pressure changes effects everything living on this planet including the way we feel, it shapes our personality without us knowing it. When pressure is high the subsiding air which is to be found beneath anticyclones can reduce the sea level by about 3 metres. When the pressure is low, the air is rising and pressure reduced so sea levels can rise by the same amount. Hence, when we experience low pressure with a rise of sea level, coupled with a strong sea surge due to strong winds and a high tide, coastal flooding becomes high risk. This almost occurred along the East coast of England earlier this year. Like every substance, air has its own weight. The atmosphere is over 600 km (370 miles) thick, and the weight of the air forces down on the Earth's surface. The downward force exerted by the weight of the air is called pressure. Air molecules are squeezed together by the weight of air above, making the air denser near the bottom of the atmosphere than it is at higher altitudes. Air density and pressure are greatest at sea level and decrease the higher one goes. Heat also makes air less dense, so less heavy, by moving its molecules. The warmer the air, the lower the air pressure.

	Light and Weather
	11:14am Mon 11 Feb 08
	Light and radiant heat are both forms of electromagnetic radiation. They travel as waves and differ only in wavelength, which is the distance between one wave crest and the next. The suns surface is about 5,700 degrees c (10,300 degrees f), and it radiates energy at numerous wavelengths and in every direction. About 9 percent of energy we receive from the sun is invisible ultraviolet light, 45 percent is visible light, 46 percent is long-wave infrared radiation, which we feel as heat. At the top of the atmosphere, Earth receives about 1,360 watts per square metre of solar energy. This is called the "solar constant". Sunlight is made from light in rainbow colours, which combine to look white. Gas molecules in the air scatter the blue light, but not the others, making the sky blue. As the Sun sets, light passes through a thicker layer of atmosphere with more dust. Now orangey colours are scattered, but not blue.

	Water and the Weather
	8:33am Wed 6 Feb 08
	Without water there would be no life and no weather, precipitation would not occur, no fog, frost or dew formation and certainly no clouds. Water is a complicated substance because it can exist as a solid, a liquid and a gas. The solid is called ice, the liquid is called water, and the gas is called water vapour. To change from a solid to a liquid (to melt) or a liquid to a gas (to evaporate) requires energy. This energy may come in the form of warmth from the sun or from rising temperatures caused by the wind blowing in from a warmer area. If the wind blows in from a colder region, the temperature drops and the water vapour condenses back into water droplets. If the temperature falls below the freezing level 0c 32f, the water droplet freeze.

	The Water Cycle
	12:12pm Tue 29 Jan 08
	The water evaporates from the land and ocean, condenses, falls back to earth as precipitation, and the water that descends over land either returns to the air by evaporation or plant transpiration, or it flows back to sea via streams and rivers. This movement is called the water cycle.

	Jet Streams and Rossby Waves
	9:00am Mon 21 Jan 08
	Air temperature decreases from the Equator to the poles, and wind speed in the upper air is proportional to the rate that temperature changes. This is most marked where polar and tropical air masses meet, at the polar front, and where equatorial and subtropical air masses collide. In those areas narrow belts of winds, called "jet streams" often blow with great force. The Polar Front Jet Stream is less constant than the Subtropical Jet Stream, but it is stronger, with winds of 100-150 mph and occasionally 200 mph. In each hemisphere, high altitude winds blow from west to east. Along the jet streams, waves form in the winds. Gradually these waves become more pronounced, and eddies begin to form at the front. The air begins to turn on an axis. Finally, waves break into cells that may last for some time, blocking low altitude weather systems below them. These " Rossby" waves were discovered in 1940 by the meteorologist Carl-Gustav Rossby (1898-1957).

	Global Wind Systems Part 3
	11:31am Mon 14 Jan 08
	Climates change all the time. Subtropical and mid-latitude climates are strongly effected by the upper jet stream, a strong and high altitude wind that blow from a westerly direction in both hemispheres. "El Nino", a change in the Trade winds and Pacific currents, occurs every few years and affects the weather and climates over a large part of the world. Climates are always changing, at present we are living in an "interglacial period" an interval between the end of one ice age and the start of another. During our life time we will witness many weather patterns which are short lived. In the British Isles the weather is fickle and changeable due to the fact that we are a very small country compared with others. Britain often becomes the battle field as winds from different directions bring contrasting air masses, which produces all kinds of weather.

	Global Wind Systems - Part 2
	9:28am Tue 8 Jan 08
	Years ago when sailing ships were exploring and trading with the rest of the world, winds and currents were very important. The winds near the Equator, blowing from the north-east in the Northern Hemisphere and the south-east in the Southern Hemisphere, are called the "trade winds".

	Global Wind Systems Part 1
	11:56am Mon 17 Dec 07
	The weather is affected by the oceans and also masses of air and the varying amount of moisture they carry. Some air contains more moisture than others.

	The Changing Environment....Climates of the World Part 3
	8:34am Tue 11 Dec 07
	The distance from the Equator is not the only factor that affects our climate, and therefore the vegetation, of any region. Birmingham is about the same distance from the Equator as Labrador and Siberia so we may assume they might have the same climates.

	Climates of the World Part 2
	2:20pm Mon 3 Dec 07
	The pattern of climate and vegetation we talked about last week is repeated north and south of the Equator around our globe. In Africa and Asia, the deserts of the Northern Hemisphere are the Sahara, Arabian, and Gobi. In North America deserts are found in Mexico and the southwestern US.

	Climates of the World Part 1
	2:39pm Mon 26 Nov 07
	Zambia in Africa is mainly a region of grassland called the savannah. These areas vary from place to place, in some areas the trees grow more closely together creating more of an open forest. In other places only shrubs and stunted trees can survive the long cold dry winters. In November, summer begins, the rains come. Empty waterholes fill, lowlands flood and seeds left dormant in the soil germinate. The ground is then carpeted with an array of colourful flowers. As the flowers decay, grasses take their place and soon takes over.

	Ice Ages
	11:22am Mon 19 Nov 07
	About 18,000 years ago, most of Northern Europe, Asia and North America lay beneath ice sheets. Around 10,000 years ago the ice retreated. So at this moment in time, we are living in what scientists call an interglacial period.