THE CHARACTERS
Neil
Neil’s 10 years old and comes from Edinburgh, in Scotland. He’s vivacious, a bit moody, and quick-witted. He has a genetic disease that put him in a wheelchair. His greatest passion is World Records, and he’s set his own record: he owns over a hundred flat caps, a style of hat that originated in 14th century England, and he wears a different one every day.
Auntie Gloria
Auntie Gloria is 35 and a science teacher. She’s very cultured and often accompanies her nephew Neil and his friends on their adventures! She never goes anywhere without her little dog Lilly, a very curious and lively poodle.
Akin
Akin is 11 years old and comes from Abuja, in Nigeria. His name means “brave”, and in fact he’s not afraid of anything, although he sometimes gets into trouble! He loves fantasy books and is very good at drawing; he always carries a notebook with him. He often has his head in the clouds, fantasizing about some new adventure.
Jin-Kyong
Jin-Kyong (known as Jin) is a 10-year-old girl from South Korea. She’s a fan of K-pop music and a video game enthusiast, as well as an ace at anything technological. She and her father built a mini companion robot called Gio-Jin, which is very caring and a little... pedantic!
Flor is 9 years old and was born in Zaragoza, in Spain. She loves nature and wants to be a biologist when she grows up. She has a mild disposition, but is also very stubborn. When she gets an idea in her head, nothing can distract her from reaching her goal.
These four friends created a group: “Best Friends for Earth”. They are passionate about saving Earth, but it’s important to study how Earth works if you want to protect it, and discover its infinite secrets.
HOORAY FOR CAMPING!
IT’S A BEAUTIFUL SUMMER DAY, AND AUNTIE GLORIA’S TAKEN NEIL AND JIN CAMPING AT THE LAKE...
YOU’LL SEE, IT’S GOING TO BE A REALLY FUN WEEKEND.
WOOF WOOF WOOF
SPEAKING OF TENTS...
I’M SO EXCITED! I’VE NEVER SLEPT IN A TENT.
ME NEITHER. IT’S SUPERMEGACOOL!
TENT: A SMALL SHELTER MADE OF CLOTH, WHICH IS EASY TO SET UP AND TAKE DOWN.
IN ASTANA, IN KAZAKHSTAN, THERE’S THE LARGEST TENT IN THE WORLD! IT’S ABOUT 500 FEET HIGH AND COVERS AN AREA OF 35 ACRES.
THERE’S ALSO A BEACH AND A WATER PARK INSIDE IT! I REPEAT: REALLY EASY!
ASTANA’S A VERY COLD CITY.
LILLY, WAIT!
WOOF WOOF WOOF
IT IS, AUNTIE GLORIA. IN WINTER THE TEMPERATURE CAN BE AS LOW AS 50° BELOW ZERO. THAT’S A RECORD!
THERE IT IS, THIS FLAT CAP ’S PERFECT! LET’S GO!
BUT HOW CAN THEY TAKE A BATH WHEN IT’S SO COLD OUTSIDE?
THAT’S SIMPLE, MISS JIN. THE TENT IS COVERED WITH A SPECIAL MATERIAL THAT GUARANTEES A SUMMER CLIMATE , EVEN IN WINTER.
IT LOOKS LIKE SHE WANTS TO GO TO THE BEACH ... THE BEACH?!
I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THE LAKE UP CLOSE.
MISS JIN, YOU FORGOT YOUR SUNSCREEN!
HERE COMES THE STORM
AUNT GLORIA’S DOG IS AFRAID OF THE STORM, SO SHE RUNS TO FIND SHELTER...
LILLY! STOP!
WHAT IS THIS PLACE? IT LOOKS LIKE IT’S BEEN ABANDONED FOR YEARS…
WOOF WOOF WOOF
IT’S AN OLD BOATHOUSE . SUPERMEGACOOL!
WE’LL BE SAFE HERE, MISS JIN.
JUST IN TIME, AND THANKS TO LILLY WE DIDN’T GET WET!
WHAT IF THE GHOST OF THE LAKE TOOK HER? IT SAYS HERE THAT THIS BOATHOUSE HAS BEEN HAUNTED FOR YEARS!
IMPOSSIBLE, MR. NEIL. GHOSTS DON’T EXIST.
YEAH, BUT WHERE IS SHE?
SHE’S PROBABLY HIDING ! SHE ALWAYS DOES THAT WHEN THERE’S A STORM…
WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF
SUDDENLY... THAT BOAT’S MOVING...
WHOOOSH
UH???
LILLY!! YOU THOUGHT IT WAS THE GHOST OF THE LAKE, DIDN’T YOU? AS IF! I’M NOT AFRAID OF ANYTHING. ME NEITHER.
BEST FRIENDS FOR EARTH
JIN ’S LITTLE ROBOT’S GONE HAYWIRE ! GIO-JIN!
DANG…
JIN DOESN’T LOSE HEART...
I DON’T KNOW, BUT I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
DANGER DANGER DANGER!
WOOF
OH, NO! POOR THING!
I WONDER WHAT SCARED HIM SO MUCH.
WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
TO THE CAMPING SITE . I’VE GOT A TOOL TO REPAIR HIM.
A SHORT TIME LATER…
GIO-JIN IS LUCKY TO HAVE A FRIEND LIKE YOU!
OPERATING SYSTEM FUNCTIONING .
HERE, YOU MIGHT NEED THIS.
THANKS, GUYS!
IT’S GREAT TO HEAR YOUR VOICE ! ?! WHAT HAPPENED TO ME, MISS JIN? YOU SHORT-CIRCUITED! BUT THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE ! IT’S TRUE! AS SOON AS YOU HEARD THE WORD CLIMATE…
MAKE A CLOUD!
With this experiment, you will understand how clouds are created, and have one at your… fingertips!
You will need:
• ice cubes
• water
• a plate
• a saucepan, or a kettle
• a transparent, heat-resistant bowl
The Experiment
Fill a saucepan or kettle with water, and heat it.
In the meantime, place the ice cubes on a plate.
Half fill the transparent bowl with the hot water, then place the plate of ice cubes on top , like a lid.
After a while, you’ll see that water vapor has formed inside the bowl, and risen to underneath the plate: that’s your cloud !
Now, lift the plate : droplets of water have formed underneath. Put the plate back on the bowl, wait a few minutes, and then watch it “rain ”! The droplets will fall back into the bowl.
How it works
When the water’s heated , it turns into water vapor. When it’s cooled , that is, when the vapor touches the plate of ice cubes, the temperature drops , and the water vapor condenses and forms droplet s. These then join together to form larger droplets, which due to their weight drop downwards .
FUN FACTS AND RECORDS!
Neil is a fan of sensational facts. He’s also collected many on extreme weather phenomena.
Find out what they are!
Unbelievable Hailstones
Rain Champion
In April 1988, the heaviest hailstone ever recorded was found in Bangladesh, where hailstorms are frequent. It weighed an incredible 2.2 pounds! The largest ever hailstone was found in the United States on July 23rd, 2010. It measured eight inches in diameter, 18.62 inches in circumference, and weighed 1.9375 pounds.
In 1966, between January 7th-8th, Cyclone Denise dropped 71.8 inches of rain on La Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean in 24 hours.
A Giant Vortex
The highest tornado ever recorded occurred in California on July 7th, 2004. It formed in Sequoia National Park , at a height of 12,000 feet .
Martian Haboobs
There are often huge dust storms on Mars , the fourth planet from the sun in the solar system, which can sometimes extend across the entire surface !
A Global Strike for the Environment
The Global Climate Strike was the largest ever climate protest. It was held in September 2021 and was promoted by the Fridays for Future movement. The strike lasted an entire week, and the main marches were attended by 7.22 million people, in more than 160 countries around the world!
The Solar System’s Biggest Storm
The Great Red Spot on planet Jupiter is a giant anticyclonic storm that extends as far as 620 miles, and which has been raging for at least 350 years !
MEGAQUIZ
Do you remember everything about the weather? Answer these questions, and have fun putting yourself to the test!
1. Weather is the average weather conditions in a given geographical area over a long period of time.
2. Atmospheric pressure varies from zone to zone, depending on the altitude, temperature, and humidity in the air.
3. When there is high pressure, the weather is bad.
4. Cumulonimbus clouds are associated with good weather.
5. In a storm cloud, ice crystals and wind-driven water droplets collide and become electrically charged.
6. It is not safe to stay in the car during a thunderstorm.
7. A tornado forms when a cumulonimbus cloud starts spinning downwards.
8. The Fujita Scale defines 6 levels of cyclone intensity.
9. The center of a cyclone is called the “eye.”
10. A haboob is a very dangerous snowstorm.
11. A place is affected by droughts if temperatures are high and it doesn’t rain for a long time.
12. Without the greenhouse effect, the temperature on Earth would be 59 °F.
13. Some gases in the atmosphere are like the glass of a greenhouse, trapping some of the infrared radiation emitted from the Earth’s surface.
14. Cattle and sheep produce a lot of methane gas when they digest their food.
15. Climate change intensifies extreme weather events.
16. The goal of the Paris Agreement is to keep the increase in global average temperature to well below 6 °F.
GLOSSARY
ATMOSPHERE
The layer of gases, known collectively as air, that surrounds Earth. The main gases are nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, and carbon dioxide.
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
The weight that the atmosphere exerts on every single part of the earth’s surface. It can be high or low, and varies from zone to zone, depending on the altitude, temperature, and humidity in the air.
BAROMETER
An instrument used in meteorology to measure atmospheric pressure.
CARBON DIOXIDE
A gas that is produced when fossil fuels or wood are burned; it is also a waste product of humans, animals, and plants breathing.
CLIMATE
The average weather conditions in a given geographical area over a long period of time, at least 30 years.
CLIMATE CHANGE
The change in the global climate caused by the action of humans, which causes the rise in greenhouse gas levels and therefore global warming.
CLOUD
Lots of condensed water droplets and ice crystals, which are carried in air flows.
DROUGHT
The lack of, or scarcity of rain, which lasts for an exceptionally long period of time.
FLOODING
A flood caused by very heavy rains.
FOSSIL FUELS
Fuels such as gas, oil, and coal that have formed underground over millions of years from the remains of plants and animals.
THE FUJITA SCALE
A scale that defines tornado intensity levels the extent of the damage it causes.
GLOBAL WARMING
The increase in the average temperature on Earth, caused by rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
