WHY IS ANTARCTICA THE WINDIEST PLACE ON EARTH?

Take a day, a week, or a whole month to examine wind patterns around the South Pole.

• If you want teacher strategies, assessment, and a schedule for the unit, start with Curriculum Materials. Then download all the activities (with handouts) and readings.
• If you want stand-alone, hands-on, or research on the Web activities and don't need teacher strategies to go with them, go directly to Activities.
• If you want accessible content readings that will help your students connect to Antarctica’s extreme winds, go straight to Articles. You'll find interviews with real scientists as well as content readings written by or about Antarctic researchers.

		Why Is Antarctica the Windiest Place on Earth? Curriculum Materials for grades 7 through 10 It's not just Antarctica's temperatures that are so extreme. Winds speeds on the continent often exceed 100 mph each winter. Learn the causes of these ferocious katabatic winds.
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		Antarctic Weather Reports Evidence and Analysis for grades 6 through 12 The weather station names paint quite a picture of Antarctica—Penguin Point, Ski-Hi, and Windless Bight. Which one would you guess had the lowest temperature? And what month was it recorded in?
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		Research on the Web: Antarctic Weather Stations Activity for grades 6 through 12 In Antarctica, scientists often have trouble measuring katabatic winds, which are so strong they can knock down the instruments. Discover for yourself why Antarctica is the windiest place on Earth.
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		Crazy Cold Air Activity for grades 7 through 12 Why does cold air rush out of a freezer when you open the door? How does it then move through a room? Experiment to learn the answers—and gain insight into the blustery winds of Antarctica.
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		Let's Talk with Carole Bennett about Studying Snow and Wind in Antarctica Article for grades 6 through 12 What's a high school chemistry teacher from Florida doing in Antarctica studying the winds? She's helping researchers understand global warming by tracking how the winds transport snow.
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		Let's Talk with Gerd Wendler about Studying Polar Climate Article for grades 6 through 12 Talk about the force of gravity—Antarctica's powerful katabatic winds thunder down from the high polar plateau to the coast, creating wind speeds that typically exceed 100 mph every winter month.
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		Letter from Stephanie: Katabatic Winds Article for grades 6 through 12 While out at sea, Shipp's ship hit a windstorm that was nasty by anyone's definition—wind speeds of 80 knots (70 mph). Learn why it's not uncommon for wind speeds to reach 200 mph in Antarctica.
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