January 14, 2002 :  16th Edition

	Jan. 14, 2002 16th Edition Subscribe Unsubscribe What is WeatherNet Classroom? Find out how to become a WeatherNet School Fundraising for your school Email us lessons, photos, and projects to share with WeatherMania readers! WeatherNet Camera Greatest Hits About us Feedback		The theme of this newsletter is " Snowflakes ".   Snowflakes are frozen ice crystals of all shapes and sizes that float down to the ground.  The design of a snowflake is almost perfectly symmetrical, resembling frozen lace or falling diamonds.   Read more about these tiny crystals that are just one of winter's wonders! P.S.  All WeatherManias are now online !  Great learning,  Krista KFlowers@aws.com What makes a snowflake? Snowflakes are made of pure snow and of 2 to 200 separate ice crystals.  Ice crystals form around tiny pieces of dirt that have been carried up into the atmosphere by the wind.  Basically, ice crystals are really soil particles that have been dressed up in ice.   Are there different shapes of ice crystals? Scientists think there are really four different shapes of ice crystals.  The simplest shape is a long needle shaped like a spike.  The other shapes all have six sides.  One of them is a long, hollow ice crystal column that is shaped like a six-sided prism.  There are also thin, flat six-sided plates.  And lastly there are intricate, six-pointed stars. Does temperature affect the shape of ice crystals? The shape of an ice crystal depends upon the temperature at which it forms.  When the temperature in a cloud is 30 - 100F, star shaped crystals form.  From 100 - 180F six-sided plates form and from 180 - 230F hollow columns form.  From 230 - 270 spike-like needles form and from 270 - 320F the plates reappear.   As the ice crystals grow, they become heavier and fall towards earth.  If they spin like tops as they fall, then they may be perfectly symmetrical when they hit the ground. But if they fall in a sideways fashion, then they end up lopsided.  Falling ice crystals clump together forming snowflakes.  Remember that each snowflake is made up of 2 to about 200 separate crystals!  Class Warm Up Directions:    Choose the correct answer.   (Cotton puffs / Dried potato flakes) were used as snowflakes in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. answer:  Dried potato flakes Instant, dried potato flakes were used to imitate fallen snow.  Did You Know? Snow can come in several different colors. Snow can be reddish in color if the air during the snow formation contains red dust particles.  Red snow is found in parts of Europe where the air is filled with dust particles from the red sands of the Sahara Desert. Also, certain types of algae can stain snow orange, purple, yellow, red and green. Weather Trivia Snow appears white because it is actually made up of _________________. a.  white ice b.  snowflakes c.  snow density d.  a white liquid substance answer:  b.  snowflakes Snow appears white because it is actually made up of snowflakes. Snowflakes are patterned crystals of water molecules. The crystal they form reflects light and appears white. When it melts, the crystals have disappeared so it appears clear. If you freeze it again, it will not form snowflakes. It will form ice and remain clear.  Weather Wizard Snowflake- A cluster of ice crystals that fall from a cloud. Class Project  1.  Title: Snowflake Patterns to Cut and Fold Snowflake1 Snowflake2 Snowflake3 Snowflake4 2.  Title:  Cut and Color a Snowflake! (Great for younger students) Snowflake1 Snowflake2 Snowflake3 Snowflake4  Featured  WeatherNet School Patricia A. DiChiaro School - Yonkers, New York A WeatherNet Weather Station is installed at Patricia A. Dichiaro School.  They make great use of weather information by studying meteorology and predicting weather.   Read more about the special activities that many students participate in at Patricia A. Dichiaro School. Go to http://classroom.aws.com to see your school's weather website! Trainer's Corner  Weather for Snowflakes Snowflakes are very interesting.  And they are fun to study. The problem is:  THEY MELT. Just when you want to look at it closely, the snowflake disappears before your eyes and leaves only shimmering drops of water. You may wish you could capture a snowflake forever.  In fact, you can find directions on the Internet for preserving snowflake shapes in plastic.  Not practical for most of us!  Or you can grow your own snowflakes.  This involves colder temperatures than you can produce in a standard freezer so you will need dry ice.  Still not practical! This works easily!  Take a standard sheet of black construction paper and put it in the freezer for several hours.  When it starts to snow, quickly take the paper outdoors and allow it to "capture" some snowflakes.  You'll still need to look fast and stay outside.  You can extend your time with the snowflakes by placing several sheets of frozen paper in the freezer.  This will allow you to replace sheets as they warm and increase the time you can observe snowflakes.  Look for the 6-sided shapes.  Notice the different sizes and try to find two that are alike.You may also want to measure the amount of snow that falls.  A "snowboard" (not one for riding) is a great way to do this.  Directions for Snowboard Measuring Snowfall If you would like to measure snowfall at your school, you can build your own snow gauge called a "snow board". Take a wooden board about 18 inches wide and 2 feet long. Paint the board with several coats of high gloss light colored paint so that it is very smooth and shiny. Place the "snowboard" in an area away from buildings and trees where snow is more likely to accumulate. Be sure to mark its location with something that rises above the ground several inches so that you can find it in deep snow. During a snowfall event, you can measure the amount of snow in inches or centimeters that has accumulated on the "snow board". Remove the accumulated snow and start over again. Repeat this process every hour during the snow event. At the end of your project, you will have hourly snow readings and a cumulative reading for the event. Compare this with your WeatherNet System weather information to find even more information about snow as condensation.  Enjoy your snowflake watching! If you have any questions or comments, contact Diana at ddell@aws.com. WeatherNet Camera Looks like the students of Webster Hill School in West Hartford, Connecticut received their share of snowflakes last week!       Webster Hill School Location:   West Hartford, CT Date: 01/08/02 Time: 1:00pm Click here to view more WeatherNet Camera images.   Click on links, below, to access websites. Match the Snowflakes Memory Game How Man Makes Snow The Science Behind Snowflakes   Professional Ice Skating Get interesting and fun information about professional ice skating.  Click here. To sign up a friend or co-worker, click here. AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc.,  2-5 Metropolitan Court   Gaithersburg, MD  20878  www.aws.com