Mrs. Irwin's integrating science in garden restoration |
Climate
Seasonal variation data
From the NGSS disciplinary core ideas for Weather and Climate ESS2.D: Weather is the combination of sunlight, wind, snow or rain, and temperature in a particular region at a particular time.
From the NGSS disciplinary core ideas for Earth and the Solar System ESS1.B: The Earth is tilted relative to it's orbit around the sun. The seasons are a result of that tilt and are caused by the differential intensity of sunlight on different areas of Earth across the year.
From the NGSS disciplinary core ideas for Earth and the Solar System ESS1.B: The Earth is tilted relative to it's orbit around the sun. The seasons are a result of that tilt and are caused by the differential intensity of sunlight on different areas of Earth across the year.
Sun Angle and hours of daylight From 2014 for East Lansing, MI
The sun angle visible in the sky, and hours of daylight are effected by the position of Earth's orbit around the sun. The Northern Pole of Earth is always pointed towards Polaris (The North Star). As the Earth revolves around the sun, the Northern Hemisphere is either tilted away (fall/winter) or tilted towards the sun (spring/summer). East Lansing, MI is located at 42.7 degrees latitude. The angle of the sun in our sky is the angle at which it appears to us from that latitude. The angle of the sun is higher in the spring and summer and therefore, we receive more direct sunlight as it has a smaller area to cover. In the fall and winter the angle of the sun in our sky is lower and the intensity of light is low because there is more surface area to cover. The image on the right demonstrates this idea. The sun is always supplying the same amount of light energy to Earth and is not dependent on the tilt of the Earth. Therefore, The more surface area the light covers the less energy a specific area gets. It is also evident that East Lansing gets more hours of daylight in the spring and summer than it does in fall and winter. The path the sun takes across our sky is longer in the spring and summer and shorter in the fall and winter.
Based on observations of our garden, as the angle of the sun increases heading into summer, the garden will get more sunlight throughout the day. It will also get more direct, intense light and take in more light energy. |
SUN ANGLE AND HOURS OF DAYLIGHT FROM 2014 FOR EAST LANSING, MIThis can also be demonstrated by holding a flashlight at a high angle in respect to surface and slowly lowering the angle. You can mark on a sheet of paper the opposing diameters that the light disperses and measuring the differences.
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Temperature
*The yellow bar on the graph is Record Min Temp in degrees Fahrenheit.
The graph above displays the average and record temperatures for the East Lansing area to provide an idea of the kind of temperatures that we might expect for our garden over the year. Since our perennials all at least have a hardiness of -30 degrees Fahrenheit, it is safe to assume and plan that they can survive a Mid-Michigan winter and continue being a part of the Kedzie Courtyard garden in the years to come. The annuals (stevia and cilantro) will finish out their life cycle within the year and leave seeds behind to grow again the following spring.
Of the light energy received from the sun, some if it will be absorbed by the molecules on the Earth's surface, while the rest will be reflected. The light energy that is absorbed is changed to heat energy that warms the surface and radiates to the air above. Since the sunlight in East Lansing is more intense in the spring and summer, more heat energy is released into the environment. Therefore, the temperature outside in East Lansing is warmer in the spring and summer than it is in the fall and winter. Contrary to popular belief that fall and spring have similar temperatures, the intensity of the suns light energy is increasing in the spring and decreasing in the fall; so the temperatures in fall are cooler than they are in the spring. Although the above data is similar because the dates for which the data was retrieved are near the equinox dates. (At the spring and fall equinox, the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere receive the same amount of light energy for a single moment). A good way to check if the differences make sense is to think about how the weather typically feels on Easter compared to Thanksgiving in East Lansing. Thanksgiving is typically colder than Easter.
Of the light energy received from the sun, some if it will be absorbed by the molecules on the Earth's surface, while the rest will be reflected. The light energy that is absorbed is changed to heat energy that warms the surface and radiates to the air above. Since the sunlight in East Lansing is more intense in the spring and summer, more heat energy is released into the environment. Therefore, the temperature outside in East Lansing is warmer in the spring and summer than it is in the fall and winter. Contrary to popular belief that fall and spring have similar temperatures, the intensity of the suns light energy is increasing in the spring and decreasing in the fall; so the temperatures in fall are cooler than they are in the spring. Although the above data is similar because the dates for which the data was retrieved are near the equinox dates. (At the spring and fall equinox, the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere receive the same amount of light energy for a single moment). A good way to check if the differences make sense is to think about how the weather typically feels on Easter compared to Thanksgiving in East Lansing. Thanksgiving is typically colder than Easter.
Precipitation in east lansing in 2014
We want to think about the amount of rainfall in the garden to know when and if we should be watering the garden manually. Our plants need plenty of water in order for process like photosynthesis to occur. Now that our plants are leafy, they need even more consistent water because some of the water our plants take in through the roots will travel right back out of the leaves. As of last year, it appears that more precipitation occurred in the summer and fall, then in spring and winter. Again, thinking about the intensity of sunlight, as the light energy heats up the surface, it causes the molecules in liquid water to speed up and break apart and evaporate into the air. The water rises into the atmosphere with the heated air. Water molecules are attracted to each other, as the water molecules condense, they form clouds. When the cloud is heavy enough, gravity pulls the water droplets back to the surface in precipitation. This is only part of the water cycle which is expressed further in the 'flow of water' page. Areas that have warmer air masses tend to collect more precipitation. This is an area I need to spend more time understanding in the future.