NY Science Standards (HS - Weather and Climate)

Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth's systems result in changes in climate. [Clarification Statement: Examples of the causes of climate change differ by timescale, over 1-10 years: large volcanic eruption, ocean circulation; 10-100s of years: changes in human activity, ocean circulation, solar output; 10-100s of thousands of years: changes to Earth's orbit and the orientation of its axis; and 10-100s of millions of years: long-term changes in atmospheric composition and plate tectonic movement.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment of the results of changes in climate is limited to changes in surface temperatures, precipitation patterns, glacial ice volumes, sea levels, and biosphere distribution.]

Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth systems. [Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence, for both data and climate model outputs, are for climate changes (such as precipitation and temperature) and their associated impacts (such as on sea level, glacial ice volumes, or atmosphere and ocean composition).] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to one example of a climate change and its associated impacts.]

Evaluate data and communicate information to explain how the movement and interactions of air masses result in changes in weather conditions. [Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence sources could include station models, surface weather maps, satellite images, radar, and accepted forecast models. Emphasis should focus on communicating how the uneven heating of Earth's surface and prevailing global winds drive the movement of air masses and their corresponding circulation patterns, the interaction of different air masses at frontal boundaries, and resulting weather phenomena.] [Assessment Boundary: Analysis is limited to surface weather maps and general weather patterns associated with high and low pressure systems.]