Like Ferris Island, Maui and the Tibetan Plateau are two places that get more rain over some parts of their landscapes than others.
In what ways do these places seem similar to Ferris Island? Compare the pictures to the picture of Ferris Island and find at least two similarities.
Investigating Water Vapor in the Sim
We’ll need to investigate some important questions to figure out what’s going on with East and West Ferris.
GOAL: Use the Sim to investigate how water vapor gets to different areas in the atmosphere. We’ll use landscapes in the Sim with similar bodies of water.
1 point
1
Question 2
2.
Based on what you observed in the Sim, what caused water vapor to move to different areas in the atmosphere?
Redirecting Air Investigation
Background for our Model:
We’ll use a notebook (representing a mountain) and a piece of tissue paper in our model.
Remember, water vapor is in the air and where air moves, the water vapor moves with it.
Because it is difficult to observe the movement of air or water vapor with our eyes, we’ll use tissue paper to figure out where air is moving. If I blow and the tissue paper moves, I know the air is moving from my mouth to where the tissue paper is.
1 point
1
Question 3
3.
What happened to the air when a notebook was placed between the person and the tissue paper?
1 point
1
Question 4
4.
What does the model show about how water vapor molecules move when wind blows toward a mountain?
Reflecting on the Movement of Water Vapor
On landscape 1 the wind is blowing from the ocean toward the mountain.
1 point
1
Question 5
5.
Where would the water vapor move?
1 point
1
Question 6
6.
Where do you think it will rain in the landscape 1? Why do you think so?
On landscape 2 the wind is blowing from the ocean toward the mountain.
1 point
1
Question 7
7.
Where would the water vapor move?
1 point
1
Question 8
8.
Where do you think it will rain in the landscape 2? Why do you think so?
1 point
1
Question 9
9.
Review
Alan was looking at these two landscapes and said that the water vapor molecules will move the same in both landscapes, because the wind is blowing the same direction. Do you agree or disagree with Alan’s statement?
Explain your answer using what you have observed and learned today.
