Weather and Climate focuses on the causes and effects of weather and climate. Students work to describe patterns in atmospheric conditions across time and location and investigate how predictions about the weather are made. What causes changes in the weather? What is the relationship between weather and climate? These questions are central to big-picture investigations of these phenomena.

Weather and Climate presents weather and climate phenomena and challenges students with intriguing questions. What causes changes in the weather? What is the relationship between weather and climate? These questions are central to big-picture investigations of these phenomena. Students read about the mixture of gases surrounding the planet. The oxygen we need makes up only about twenty percent of the atmosphere. Another important gas in the air is water vapor, which— through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation—plays a big part in weather. Meteorologists and climatologists study patterns of weather over different scales of time.

When reading Weather and Climate, students become aware that meteorologists also use other kinds of information to forecast the weather. Climatologists study patterns over longer time periods using much of the same data.  Students also learn that some forms of weather can be severe and hazardous, such as a hurricane, a tornado, or a lightning storm. People can design solutions to prepare for hazardous weather and to minimize risks.