Acid rain damage, scrubbers, monitoring and models
Week 14 · 2-4 The Atmosphere and the Role of Science in Its Sustainability (B): effects of acid rain on plants, soil and buildings, scrubbers, monitoring by satellites and weather stations, climate models, forecasting and examples · 3 lessons
2
Watching the atmosphere: satellites and weather stations
Integrated Science Sec 1 Term 1, Unit 2: pp. 103–108
GoalSay what satellites and weather stations measure, and how they help to protect the atmosphere.
New words
satellite · an object that orbits Earth and carries instrumentsweather station · a place with instruments that measure the weather on the groundremote sensor · an instrument that measures something from far away
Explanation
To protect the atmosphere, scientists first need to measure it. Satellites with remote sensors measure carbon dioxide and methane, watch the ozone layer and its recovery, and give data on clouds and winds. Weather stations on the ground record wind speed, humidity, pressure, temperature and the level of pollutants, and give early warning of pollution, dust storms and heat waves. A famous example: scientists at a station in Antarctica found the ozone hole in 1985, and the Montreal Protocol followed in 1987, limiting CFCs; the ozone layer is now slowly recovering. Monitoring does not cause pollution or fix it: it tells us where we stand, so people can decide what to do. The two kinds of tools support each other: a satellite sees a wide area from above; a station gives exact local values that check the satellite.
Worked examples
Which tool is best? To follow ozone over the whole planet: satellite. To check the temperature and wind at one town: weather station. To warn of a dust storm near a city: weather stations, with satellite images of the cloud of dust.
Day
Temperature
UV index
Monday
31 °C
8
Tuesday
33 °C
9
Wednesday
29 °C
6
Read an invented forecast table: Monday 31 °C, UV index 8; Tuesday 33 °C, UV index 9; Wednesday 29 °C, UV index 6. The highest UV is on Tuesday (9). A school can plan shade and outdoor lessons around it.
Why did the 1985 discovery matter? Scientists measured the ozone from a station and saw it thin, which led to an agreement in 1987. It shows how measuring can lead to action.
Class activity
Instrument sort, on cards. Write six tasks (measure wind speed at a town, track CO₂ over a continent, warn of a dust storm, watch ozone recover, measure humidity, check a satellite reading). Sort each into satellite, weather station or both, and give a reason. Then, with a teacher, plan a safe visit to a school or local weather station, never alone.
Practice
1
Name two things a satellite can measure.
For example: CO₂ and methane, the ozone layer, clouds and winds.
2
Name three things a weather station measures.
For example: wind speed, humidity, air pressure, temperature or pollutants.
3
Why can a station help check a satellite?
It gives exact local values on the ground to compare with the satellite’s wide view.
