Author Archives: peggy

“Fropas”

One of the most exciting weather phenomena is the passage of a front, called a “Fropas” (FROH-pah) by meteorologists. Especially a strong cold front. A front is simply the boundary between a large mass of cold air and a large … Continue reading

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Wind Power

The cost of using fossil fuels has gone up – we paid over $4.00 a gallon for gasoline for the first time this weekend. But of course there is the no-longer-hidden cost of what the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse … Continue reading

Posted in Atmosphere, Carbon, Earth as a System | Leave a comment

Watching Clouds

In the last blog, I looked down – at a puddle. But most of the time, I look up: to see what birds are overhead, and to watch clouds. Figure 1. Picture of fair-weather cumulus clouds east of Beloit, Wisconsin, … Continue reading

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Puddles and the GLOBE inquiry model

As the last (I promise!) blog on the Missouri puddle, I describe the informal puddle investigation in terms of the GLOBE Inquiry Model. The GLOBE Inquiry Model is a simple way to describe how scientists investigate questions. It’s easier to … Continue reading

Posted in Atmosphere, General Science, Hydrology, Soil | Leave a comment

Part 5. Postscript to Missouri Puddles Blog

(If you are interested in the Pole to Pole videoconference, just scroll down – it’s just below this one. I’m finishing up the puddles blog so that I can write a blog or two on inquiry, using the puddles as … Continue reading

Posted in Backyard Science, General Science, Hydrology, Watersheds | Leave a comment