Climate Action, Middle School Science Projects (Page 2)

Do Hurricanes Cool the Ocean?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

If you've ever so much as watched a news clip about a hurricane, you probably know that hurricanes draw their power from warm ocean waters. If that is true, does it mean that hurricanes actually cool the ocean down when they pass through? Can the amount of cooling be measured? Is it proportional to the strength of the hurricane? Find out using data that you can collect yourself using online archives. This project shows you how. Read more

Investigate the Greenhouse Effect

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Has the temperature in your house felt hotter or colder recently? This could be due to the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect states that gases in the atmosphere, such as CO2, might increase the surface temperature of Earth. In this science fair project, you will build a small model of Earth and use it to see how the temperature varies, compared to outside of the model. If you select this science fair project, you will be a part of the effort that is working to figure out what role… Read more

Ocean Currents: Modeling the 'Global Conveyor Belt' in Your Kitchen

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Ocean currents have profound effects on the climates of the continents, especially those regions bordering on the ocean. For example, the Gulf Stream (a warm current that goes around the North Atlantic Ocean) is thought to make northwest Europe much warmer than it would otherwise be. Similarly, the California Current is thought to keep Hawaii cooler than other land masses at the same latitude as it. In this ocean science fair project, you will model the behavior of these "rivers" of hot and… Read more

Predicting How Urban Wildfires Will Spread

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Urban wildfires can cause devastating loss of life and property. Can we save lives by predicting how and where these fires will spread? What protective measures can we take to save buildings from the fires? In this project you will use a computer model to simulate how wildfires spread in populated areas, and experiment with different protective measures to try and save houses from burning. Read more

How Does the Tilt of Earth's Axis Affect the Seasons?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Many people are surprised to learn that the season's we experience—winter, spring, summer and fall—have nothing to do with the distance of Earth from the Sun. In this science fair project, you will investigate how the temperature on Earth actually depends on the tilt of Earth's axis of rotation. Read more

Hurricanes

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Unless you live in the Southern states, you only hear about the most destructive hurricanes. In fact hurricanes occur every year, even multiple times a year. Each hurricane is a tropical storm related to cyclones and tornadoes, some big and some small. Each hurricane is measured based upon several variables like: wind speed, diameter, direction of movement and speed of movement. Does the size of the hurricane correlate with the wind speed? What information can the eye of the hurricane… Read more

Sunspot Cycles

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Sunspot activity has been monitored continuously since about 1700. The historical data shows that sunspot activity rises and falls in a roughly 11-year cycle. This project shows you how you can use both graphical and statistical analysis to look for patterns in cyclical data. Read more

Ozone Depletion

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

The ozone layer is important for blocking most of the harmful radiation that comes from the sun. You can find maps of the ozone layer and compare different regions of the globe for ozone coverage. Where are the problem areas? Is there a difference in ozone coverage between different hemispheres? Between populated and un-populated areas? In atmospheric regions over land masses or over bodies of water? Some scientists think that aerosols in the air are breaking down the ozone layer. You can do… Read more

How Do Plants Change the Buildup of Greenhouse Gases?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Global warming is how scientists describe the gradual warming of our global climate. Scientists think that the trend towards global warming can be attributed to the build up of greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere from industrialization. Another problem is deforestation, as we remove plants and trees from the environment to meet a high demand for lumber or by clear cutting fields for farming and urbanization. By removing trees from the earth's environment, are we changing how greenhouse… Read more

Frequency Histograms

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Can you remember what the weather was like last week? Last year? Here's a project that looks at what the weather was like for over a hundred years. You'll use historical climate data to look at moisture conditions in regions across the continental U.S. You'll use a spreadsheet program to calculate the frequency of different moisture conditions for each region and make graphs for comparison. Which part of the country has the most frequent droughts? The most frequent periods of prolonged… Read more

Climate Action, Middle School Science Projects (30 results)

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