Natural Resource of Africa

Writing a report

You are a reporter!, It is 3 September 2005 , and you are in New Orleans. THe Hurricane Katrina just arrived. Write about it, a report for your newspaper.
You write about Hurricane Katrina, which hit the Gull Coast on 29 Augost. Describe: What happened, where, when and why. The damage done (homeless people, human problems, figures of casualties, ....).
In your report, a witness can describe the effect of the hurricane.
You can use:

• What is a hurricane?


• Wikipedia


• CCN.Com

Antarctica

Weather for kids

The sun and the temperature

The sun causes all our weather because it heats the earth unevenly. The contrast between the hot parts and the cold parts of the earth turns our atmosphere into a powerful engine. The engine keeps cold and warm air moving and makes changes in air pressure. Those air pressure changes cause wind. The heat of the sun also helps moisture to rise and form clouds, bringing rain, snow, or thunderstorms. So all the changes in our weather come, at least indirectly from the sun. For more on the summer sun, go here.

Blanket of Air
As the sun warms up the earth, the ground absorbs the heat, and reflects some of it back into the air. That's one reason why it's usually warmer near the ground and cooler on the higher hills and mountains. The atmosphere acts like a big blanket over the earth, holding in the warmth and reflecting it back to earth


TASK

Explain the text with your words. No use the translator, you can search for the meaning of what you do not know, but explain it, with your words.

• Why is so important the sun?


• how the sun created the climate zones?

Send me by mail

What is Drought? What do you think when you hear the word drought? Do you think “dry,” “hot,” “dusty,” or “cracked earth,” or even “no water”? If so, you’re on the right track! When a place is in a drought, it is dry and hot, often dusty; cracks may appear in the soil, and rivers, lakes, streams, and other sources of water can go dry. A drought means that a place has less precipitation (rain or snow) than normal over a few months or even longer. What causes this? How does drought really affect us? How can we be prepared for drought? These are all important questions that we will answer as we explore drought. What causes a drought?  How Does Drought Affect Our Lives? Send me the answers by E-Mail

What is groundwater?

To Read with Annie

 Groundwater is the water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock. It is stored in and moves slowly through geologic formations of soil, sand and rocks called aquifers.

 How much do we depend on groundwater?

• Groundwater supplies drinking water for 51% of the total U.S. population and 99% of the rural population.
• Groundwater helps grow our food. 64% of groundwater is used for irrigation to grow crops.
• Groundwater is an important component in many industrial processes.
• Groundwater is a source of recharge for lakes, rivers, and wetlands.

Aquifers are typically made up of gravel, sand, sandstone, or fractured rock, like limestone. Water can move through these materials because they have large connected spaces that make them permeable. The speed at which groundwater flows depends on the size of the spaces in the soil or rock and how well the spaces are connected.

Groundwater can be found almost everywhere. The water table may be deep or shallow; and may rise or fall depending on many factors. Heavy rains or melting snow may cause the water table to rise, or heavy pumping of groundwater supplies may cause the water table to fall.
Groundwater supplies are  recharged, by rain and snow melt that seeps down into the cracks and crevices beneath the land's surface. In some areas of the world, people face serious water shortages because groundwater is used faster than it is naturally replenished. In other areas groundwater is polluted by human activities. 

Make the Summary