Category Science

What will happen as the temperature rises?

As the Earth’s climate warms up, glaciers and the ice at the North and South Poles will melt, causing the sea level to rise. This will bring floods, and some islands will disappear. Deserts will spread, and droughts will occur.

Amazing! Cows are making the temperature rise. The smelly greenhouse gas methane comes from animals, such as cows, and from factories. Humans make it, too!

How can governments reduce carbon dioxide levels?

Burning petrol in cars puts carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Governments can build transport systems that don’t make carbon dioxide, and order more trees to be planted.

What can I do to help?

Use less electricity. This is because most electricity comes from burning fossil fuels which makes carbon dioxide. Switch off lights, TVs and computers when not in use.

Is it true? If the Antarctic ice sheet melted, the sea level would rise.

Yes. It holds two-thirds of the Earth’s fresh water. If it melted, the sea would rise by up to 70 metres. Coastlines would change all over the world.

Picture Credit : Google

Is Earth a healthy planet?

Look at Earth from space and you see a mainly blue, watery planet with swirling white clouds. All looks well, but get closer, and you see a different picture. Parts of Earth are unhealthy — and all because of the way we live.

Does Earth need looking after?

Earth is our only home – we can’t live on other planets. We need to look after it to make sure it stays a beautiful, healthy place. If we don’t care for the Earth now, we will spoil it for the people of the future.

Can I help care for the Earth?

There are many things you can do in your everyday life to care for the Earth. This book tells you about some of them. Just think, if everyone did the same as you, Earth would be a better place to live.

Is it true? There is no other planet like Earth.

Yes. There is only one Earth. It is special – it is the only planet known to have life on it. Perhaps one day life will be found on another planet, too.

Amazing! There has been life on Earth for approximately 3.5 billion years.

Picture Credit : Google

How do wildfires start?

They destroy huge patches of forest, and spread very quickly, especially in dry weather. Lightning starts hundreds of wildfires a year. But most fires are started by people to clear space for farms and fields. These fires can quickly get out of control.

Is it true? Some trees have fireproof bark.

Yes. Many trees die in forest fires because their wood easily catches fire. But some trees have special bark which protects the wood inside from the flames.

How do people fight wildfires?

Fighting a wildfire is difficult and dangerous. Special planes fly overhead spraying the forest with millions of litres of water. Firefighters on the ground try to hold back the fire with water and beaters.

What is a heatwave?

A heatwave is very hot weather which lasts much longer than usual. The scorching heat can kill people, animals and crops. It also dries up reservoirs, and melts the surface of roads.

Amazing! It can take hundreds of years for a forest to grow again after a fire. But sometimes fires can be good for forests. They clear space for new plants to grow.

Picture Credit : Google

What is El Nino?

El Nino is a warm band of water which flows in the sea along the coast of South America. Scientists blame El Nino for changing the weather, by causing more storms, floods, droughts and tornadoes every few years.

Is it true? It can rain cats and dogs.

No. But you can get showers of fish, frogs, flowers, coal, nuts and even maggots! Scientists think the wind scoops them up, and then they fall again in the rain.

What are monsoons?

Monsoons are winds which bring heavy rain to tropical places such as India and South East Asia, during the summer months. Farmers rely on this rain to water their crops, because during the cooler months, there might be little or no rainfall.

Amazing! A turtle once fell in a hailstone in the USA. It had somehow been sucked up into a thundercloud and covered in layers of ice.

What is a sandstorm?

A sandstorm is a thick, choking cloud of sand whipped up by the wind in the desert. If you get caught in a sandstorm the best thing to do is cover your nose and mouth. Then you won’t breathe the choking sand in.

Picture Credit : Google

What makes a tornado twist?

A tornado is a fierce, twisting wind which hangs from a thundercloud. It starts when wind inside the cloud starts to spin very quickly. A twisty tornado speeds across the ground, sucking up everything in its way.

Amazing! Some people track tornadoes for fun. They drive as close to the twister as they dare, then take video films and photographs. It’s a very dangerous hobby!

Is it true? Tornadoes can pick up trains.

Yes. In 1931, a tornado in Minnesota, USA, picked a train right off its tracks and dumped it in a ditch. Tornadoes often pick up cars and cows!

Do tornadoes happen at sea?

Yes, they’re called waterspouts. These giant twists of water can be over 1.5 kilometres tall. In the past, sailors thought waterspouts were sea monsters!

How quickly do tornadoes travel?

Most tornadoes travel at about 30 kph, but some are much speedier movers. They race along the ground as quickly as a car. What’s more, the wind inside a tornado can blow at an amazing 480 kph.

Picture Credit : Google

What are hurricanes?

Hurricanes are giant storms that begin over warm tropical seas. They are like huge spinning wheels of wind, rain and clouds. They sweep across the sea, and then begin to die down when they reach land.

Is it true? Hurricanes have names.

Yes. Hurricanes are given names from an alphabetical list. A new list is made every year. The names of the worst hurricanes, like Andrew or Carol, are never used again.

Amazing! If you could collect the energy inside a hurricane for one day and turn it into electricity, it would run the whole USA for six months.

How big are hurricanes?

Hurricanes can be enormous. Some measure 3,000 kilometres across and even the smallest are about half the size of Britain. Winds inside a hurricane can blow at over 300 kph.

Do hurricanes have eyes?

Yes, they do. The eye is a patch of calm, clear weather in the hurricane’s centre. As the eye passes over land, there’s a break in the storm for an hour or so. Then it begins again.

Picture Credit : Google