Science

• El Niño

  An abnormal and lengthy warming in the southern part of the Pacific ocean
• La Niña


  Occurs when the temperature in the eastern Pacific decreases below normal
• El Niño (Spanish term) means "little boy"
• La Niña means "little girl"
• Duration of El Niño

  • 9 months
  • 2 years at most
• Duration of La Niña

  • 9 to 12 months
  • 2 years
• El Niño usually starts between Dec to Feb when the temperature reaches 0.5°C or higher for at least 5 consecutive overlapping 3 months season
• Effects of El Niño

  • Higher risk of forest and grass fires
  • Reduced rainfall
  • Massive drought
  • Reduced crop yields
  • Grow crops in mountainous and unreachable areas by irrigation
• Effects of La Niña

  • Catastrophic floods
  • Coral bleaching
  • Severe tropical storms and hurricanes
  • Formation of more tropical cyclones
  • Increased rainfall
• Coral bleaching occurs when water is too warm and corals expel the algae living in their tissues causing the coral to turn white
• El Niño is sometimes called "El Niño Southern Oscillation"
• Star

  A large, hot ball of gases held together by gravity that gives off its own light
• Constellation


  A group of stars that appear to form a pattern
• Different constellations are visible depending on a person's location on Earth and the time of the year
• Stars appear to move from East to West in the sky
• Early people first used constellations for religious purposes, determining when to sow or harvest, and for navigation
• Volcanism


  Phenomenon connected with volcanoes and their volcanic activity
• Volcanic eruption


  1. Hot liquid under Earth's surface "magma"

  2. Once the magma erupts through Earth's surface, it is called "lava"
• Volcano formations


  • Melted Crust/Subduction
  • Underwater volcano
  • Hot spot volcano
• Parts of a volcano


  • Magma chamber
  • Sill
  • Laccolith
  • Parasitic cone
  • Vent
  • Crater
  • Ash cloud
  • Ash
  • Lava
• Types of volcano


  • Cinder Cone
  • Composite
  • Shield
  • Lava Dome
• Temperature of magma: 700°-1300° Celsius
• Factors affecting volcanic eruptions


  • Magma temperature
  • Chemical composition
  • Amount of dissolved gases
• Viscosity

  Property of the material's resistance to flow, liquid's thickness, and stickiness
• Magma with high silica content


  The higher its viscosity
• Process of Volcanic Eruption

  1. As the magma rises, gas bubbles develop, pressure inside the volcano increases due to trapped bubbles within it

  2. When pressure exceeds the strength of overlying rocks, fracturing occurs resulting in a further drop in pressure. Enhanced or even more gas bubbles are formed
• Volcano Alert Level

  • Alert level 0: No alert
  • Alert level 1: Low level of volcanic unrest
  • Alert level 2: Increasing unrest
  • Alert level 3: Magmatic unrest
  • Alert level 4: Hazardous eruption movement
  • Alert level 5: Hazardous eruption in process
• Star

  A massive ball of plasma emitting light
• The sun is the only star in our solar system, providing energy for life on Earth
• Characteristics of stars


  • Brightness
  • Color
  • Surface temperature
  • Size
  • Mass
• Brightness


  Defined by luminosity and magnitude
• Color of a star


  Determined by surface temperature
• Surface temperature


  Measured on the Kelvin scale
• Stars are massive balls of plasma that emit light throughout the universe
• The sun is the only star in the solar system and constitutes more than 99% of the system's mass. The sun is the source of light and heat necessary to support life on Earth and is essential to the food chain as plants are the producers
• The hottest known star is wr102
• The coldest known brown dwarf is wise one j08510.83.0714 four point five
• Astronomers measure a star's temperature


  On the Kelvin scale
• Constellations can be observed at different times of the year using models
• Stars are powerful balls of flaming gases that emit electromagnetic waves in all directions