Effects of Solar Radiation on Land and Sea

Source Institutions

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility

Effects of Solar Radiation on Land and Sea

In this activity, learners explore the different heating properties of soil and water. Learners measure the temperatures of a bucket of soil and a bucket of water outside on a sunny day after 15 minutes and 3 hours and 15 minutes. Learners collect and graph the data. This experiment will help learners understand why places near the sea have a more moderate climate than those inland. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]

Preparation Time:: Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:: 2 to 4 hours
Estimated Materials Cost:: $1 - $5 per group of students
Age Range:: Ages 8 - 14
Resource Types:: Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan
Language:: English

Materials List (per group of students)

Bucket of soil and a bucket of water
2 ordinary thermometers
Recording sheets
Normal graph paper
Rulers
Pencils

Keywords

Subjects

Earth and Space Science
- Earth Processes
  - Weather and Climate
- Earth Structure
  - Rocks and Minerals
  - Oceans and Water
  - Earth, Moon and Sun
- Solar System
  - The Sun
Mathematics
- Data Analysis and Probability
  - Data Analysis
  - Data Collection
  - Data Representation
- Measurement
Physical Sciences
- Heat and Thermodynamics
  - Heat and Temperature
  - Heat Transfer
- Energy
The Nature of Science
- The Scientific Process
  - Conducting Investigations
  - Gathering Data
  - Formulating Explanations
  - Communicating Results

Informal Categories

Nature and Environment
Outdoor Activity

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

see
read
be mobile

Learning styles supported:

Involves teamwork and communication skills
Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Access Rights:

Free access

By:

Education and Outreach Program, Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility