Warm Me Up!
You have been learning about factors that affect climate. You and your family members can observe why a large body of water can affect climate.
Materials
- 2 aluminum pie pans
- water
- sand
- sunny windowsill
- thermometer
Procedure
Ask an adult to help you fill one pie pan with water. Fill the other pie pan to the same level with sand. Place the pans on a flat surface and let them stand for about 2 hours to make sure they are both at room temperature. Transfer the pans to a sunny windowsill. In a chart record the temperature of each pan every 5 minutes for 30 minutes.
| Time (minutes) | Temperature of Water (°F) | Temperature of Sand (°F) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | ||
| 5 | ||
| 10 | ||
| 15 | ||
| 20 | ||
| 25 | ||
| 30 |
Results
Which heated up faster—the water or the sand? Suppose the sand-filled pan represented a beach and the water-filled pan represented the ocean. Using what you know about weather, how would this uneven heating affect climate?