Lab Exercise: Atmospheric Heating

In this experiment you will observe how entrapped water moves from land to the atmosphere, and determine how weather conditions affect this movement.

Materials:

1. (4) one-gallon size zipper baggies
2. 6 cups of dirt (sand, soil, potting soil, whatever is available)
3. 3 cups of room temperature water
4. 3 small twigs with leaves off a living plant
5. Tape

Procedure:

1. Place about 2 cups of dirt into 3 separate baggies.
2. Place 2 cups of water in one bag, and 1 cup of water in a second bag.
3. Place the three leafy twigs in the third bag. Seal each bag.
4. Place the last bag over a leafy part of a living plant; use tape to prevent moisture leaving the bag.
5. Place the three bags with dirt in a warm area, either in the sun, a sunny window, heat lamp, or heater vent for 8 hours, monitoring every 2 hours.
6. Record the type of soil used, and the ambient temperature for all bags.
7. Observe and record any changes to each bag every 2 hours.

Answer the following questions:

1. Report your observations of this experiment.
2. Explain how this experiment relates to drought conditions.
3. What would happen if you increased the ambient temperature? What would happen if you decreased the ambient temperature?
4. Compare what you found between the twig bag and the taped bag around the living branch? Were these the results you were expecting? Why or why not?
5. Explain how you could set up a terrarium to account for the following; evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff, infiltration, and percolation.

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