nā ao a me nā ua: clouds and rains (moisture...

These lessons have been developed in partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi College of Education and Polynesian Voyaging Society. Funding has been provided by the Department of Education Native Hawaiian Education Program.

© Bishop Museum, 2014. All rights reserved. 1

Nā Ao a me Nā Ua: Clouds and Rains (Moisture Circulation)

(Photo source: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3135/2830081281_fd76a7c58e.jpg)

Summary & Goals:

Students will learn how identify and classify clouds and predict weather.

Students will be able to name and explain the different phases of the water cycle.

Background | Standards | Resources and Materials | Instructions | References

Background:

SCIENTIFIC Meteorology is the scientific study of Earth’s atmosphere (the layer of gases that

surrounds Earth and is held in place by its gravity), which protects Earth’s life forms by

absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming Earth’s surface through heat retention, and

distributing temperature extremes between day and night (technically the ocean is responsible

for heat regulation, the winds ‘assist’ in the movement of ‘heat’ around the globe). The

troposphere is both the largest (in terms of volume) and lowest (in terms of altitude) portion

of Earth’s atmosphere, comprising about 80% of its mass and extending to an average

maximum height of about 11 miles above Earth’s surface.

Since the troposphere also contains 99% of the atmosphere’s water vapor, it is the primary

location of weather-related clouds, which are visibly suspended masses of liquid droplets or

frozen crystals of water. The water (or hydrologic) cycle describes the continuous movement

of water above, on, and even below the surface of the Earth and consists of three main

physical processes:

Evaporation, the changing of a liquid to a gas;

Condensation, the changing of a gas to a liquid; and

Precipitation, when a liquid condenses enough to become susceptible to gravity.

Credit: Anela Benson, Loke Roseguo

Grade Level: 6-8

Learning Time: 1-2 Hours

Keywords: atmosphere, meteorology,

troposphere, hydrologic cycle, orographic effect



These processes manifest within the water cycle when the Sun heats ocean water, causing

it to evaporate and rise. (Note: ice and snow can sublimate directly into water vapor, and

water can also transpire from plants as well as evaporate from soil.) Rising vapor cools

within the atmosphere and condenses into clouds as the result of one or more “lifting agents.”

One readily observable lifting agent in Hawaiʻi is the orographic effect, which occurs when an

air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain

(e.g., mountains and/or an island). As the air mass rises, it quickly cools, forming clouds

(lenticular or stationary lens-shaped clouds, in particular) and sometimes even rain on the

windward side of a mountain. When cloud particles condense and collide, they grow and

eventually fall or precipitate as rain (or snow, hail, or sleet) back into the ocean or onto land.

The resultant rain can vary in morphology, with smaller cloud droplets falling as tiny spheres

and larger raindrops falling in more oblate (i.e., hamburger-bun-like) shapes, even resembling

parachutes – but never in the stereotypical “teardrop” shape. In terms of relative intensity,

rain can be classified as light (<0.098 inches of precipitation per hour), moderate (0.098-0.39

in/hr), heavy (0.39-2.0 in/hr), or violent (>2.0 in/hr). Mount Waiʻaleʻale on Kauaʻi has

averaged more than 460 inches of rain per year over the last 32 years and is considered one of

the rainiest places on Earth, with a record high of 683 inches in 1982.

Meteorologists classify clouds primarily by their height (i.e., “high” being greater than

18,000 feet, “middle” being from 7,000 to 18,000 feet, and “low” being from near ground to

7,000 feet) and secondarily by their shape (using terms based on the system introduced in

1803 by British scientist Luke Howard):

Cumulus or cumulo-, meaning “pile” and describing heaped, lumpy clouds;



Cirrus, cirri-, and cirro- meaning “hair” and describing high-level clouds that resemble

wispy locks of hair;

Stratus or strato- meaning “layer” and describing featureless clouds that blanket the sky;

Nimbus or nimbo- simply meaning “cloud” but referring specifically to low, gray rain

clouds as well as mid-level clouds; and

Alto meaning “high” and used to describe high or even middle clouds.

These words and prefixes are combined to describe different types of clouds, as shown in

the following illustration (Crawford, 1992).

(Crawford, 1992)

CULTURAL The Hawaiian gods Lono and Kāne could manifest as clouds, with Lono being addressed

as “ke-ao-loa” (the long cloud) or “ke-ao-poko” (the short cloud) and Kāne as Kāne-i-ka-

ʻōpua (Kāne, the horizon clouds) or Kāne-i-ke-ao (Kāne, the floating cloud). Kāne was also

the god of water, as illustrated in the oli (chant) He Mele no Kāne (The Water of Kāne):



According to revered Hawaiian historian David Malo, ao (clouds) resided six strata

above people’s heads in luna-o-ke-ao or “the firmament where the clouds float” (1951, p. 12)

and were named for their color and character:

A black cloud was termed eleele, if blue-black, it was called uliuli; if glossy black,

hiwahiwa or polo-hiwa. Another name for such a cloud was panopano. A white

cloud was called keokeo, or kea. If a cloud had a greenish tinge, it was termed

maomao; if a yellowish tinge, lena. A red cloud was termed ao-ula or kiawe-ula or

onohi-ula, red eye-ball. If a cloud hung low in the sky, it was termed hoo-lewa-lewa,

or the term hoo-pehu-pehu, swollen, was applied to it. A sheltering cloud was called

hoo-malu-malu; a thick black cloud, hoo-koko-lii; a threatening cloud, hoo-weli-weli.

(p. 12)

If a cloud was narrow and long, hanging low in the horizon, it was termed opua, a

bunch or cluster. There were many kinds of opua each being named according to its

appearance. If the leaves of the opua pointed downwards, it might indicate wind or

storm, but if the leaves pointed upwards, calm weather. If the cloud was yellowish

and hung low in the horizon it was called newe-newe, plump, and was a sign of very

calm weather. If the sky in the western horizon was blue-black, uli-uli, at sunset, it

was said to be pā-uli and was regarded as prognosticating a high surf, kai-koo. (pp.

12-13)



Malo (1951) goes on to share about ua (rain):

Rain is an important phenomenon from above; it lowers the temperature. The

ancients thought that smoke from below turned into clouds and produced rain. (p. 14)

If there was an opening in the cloud, like the jaw of the a‘u (sword fish), it was called

ena and was considered a sign of rain. When the clouds in the eastern heavens were

red in patches before sunrise, it was called kahea (a call) and was a sign of rain. If

the cloud lay smooth over the mountains in the morning, it was papala and

foretokened rain. It was also a sign of rain when the mountains were shut in with

blue-black clouds, and this appearance was termed pala-moa. (p. 13)

If the sky was entirely overcast, with almost no wind, it was said to be poi-pu (shut

up), or hoo-ha-ha, or hoo-lu-luhi; and if the wind started up the expression hoo-ka-

kaa, a rolling together, was used. If the sky was shut in with thick, heavy clouds, it

was termed hakuma; and if the clouds that covered the sky were exceedingly black, it

was thought that Ku-lani-ha-koi was in them, the place whence came thunder,

lightning, wind, rain, violent storms. (p. 13)

Some rainstorms have their origin at a distance. The kona was a storm of rain with

wind from the south, a heavy rain. The hoolua storm was likewise attended with

heavy rain, but with wind from the north. The naulu, accompanied with rain, is

violent but of short duration. (p. 14)

The rain called awa is confined to the mountains, while that called kualau occurs at

sea. There is also a variety of rain termed a-oku. A water-spout was termed wai-pui-

lani. There were many names used by the ancients to designate appropriately the

varieties of rain peculiar to each part of the island coast; the people of each region

naming the varieties of rain as they deemed fitting. A protracted rainstorm was

termed ua-loa, one of short duration ua-poko, a cold rain ua-hea. (p. 14)

When it rained, if it were with wind, thunder, lightning and perhaps a rainbow, the

rainstorm would probably not continue long. But if the rain were accompanied by

wind, it would probably be a prolonged storm. When the western heavens are red at

sunset, the appearance is termed aka-ula (red shadow or glow) and is looked upon as

a sign that the rain will clear up. (p. 13)

VOYAGING A Traditional and modern seafarers alike rely on natural observations to predict weather

before and during a trip to sea and, thus, ensure safe travels. Clouds, in particular, play an

crucial role in non-instrument navigation: they can foretell of impending weather conditions

as well as serve as potential indicators of land (e.g., stacked lenticular clouds above a land

mass, the reflected green tinge of an underlying lagoon), but they can also obscure other

crucial navigational information (e.g., the Sun’s position during the day or the stars’ positions

at night). Hawaiian pwo (master navigator) Nāinoa Thompson recalls knowledge he received

from Satawalese pwo Pius “Mau” Piailug about clouds:

Mau taught me to call clouds that look like this “the road to the wind.” I imagine at the

far horizon there is a factory producing the clouds and, like smoke from a haystack, they



follow the wind. This road indicates the wind is coming from the horizon. And because

the road is straight, the wind is steady. If you see the road curve, it means that the wind

direction will change and the way it curves will tell you the new direction. It is I

nteresting to me that meteorologists call this kind of phenomenon “cloud streets,” pretty

close to Mau’s term “Road of the Wind.” (PVS, 2012)

According to Nāinoa’s other teacher at the time, Bishop Museum planetarium presenter

Will Kyselka, “Reading squalls [i.e., sudden, sharp increases in wind speed possibly

accompanied by rain] is an art,” (1987, p. 145) which Mau demonstrates by attempting to

explain the principles he employs:

If the rain cloud is black, the wind is not strong. If the cloud is brown, the wind is

probably strong. If the cloud is high, there’s not much wind but maybe a lot of rain. If

it’s low, probably lots of wind. What you do is to sail up to it. The last clue is the color

of the line at the surface of the water beneath the cloud. If it is black you know it is a real

strong wind. If it’s the same color as the ocean near you then it is not a strong wind. If

the water is bumpy inside then you know there’s a strong wind. (p. 145)

David Seidman, author of The Complete Sailor (required reading for Polynesian

Voyaging Society crew-members-in-training), offers the following advice about weather

prediction based on clouds:

High clouds are associated with the upper atmosphere and distant weather systems up to

six hours away. If they are wispy and white, the weather will be fine. Lower clouds

relate to the current weather or that which is soon to come. If they are dense and dark,

change is imminent, usually for the worse. Notice if clouds are lowering or lifting, and if

they are gathering or dispersing. Lowering or gathering usually brings wet weather.

Lifting or dispersing means the weather will improve. A cloud’s color seems obvious:

the darker, the more dangerous. And a sharp-edged dark cloud is the most dangerous of

all. In shape, flat clouds are characteristic of stable air, while lumpy, well-rounded

clouds live in unstable air. (1995, p. 166)

Otherwise, clouds and rain can be welcome presences while voyaging. Since cool and

shady places onboard a waʻa are otherwise difficult to come by, clouds can offer temporary

relief from the harsh rays of the Sun, and after bathing for days or weeks using sea water

from buckets, light rain squalls serve as opportunities for salt-encrusted crew members to

enjoy cleansing, fresh-water showers.

BISHOP MUSEUM More than 100 Hawaiian language newspapers published prolifically between 1834 and

the late 1940s and now serve as an invaluable historical source of information about climate

and ecosystems of Hawaiʻi (among other subjects) during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Hoʻolaupaʻi Newspaper Resources project at the Bishop Museum sought to preserve the

legacy of these nūpepa publications (totaling approximately 125,000 pages of text) by



digitally archiving them (www.nupepa.org).

The museum’s Jhamandas Watumull Planetarium lobby also houses Science On a Sphere

(SOS), a room-sized global display system that projects planetary data onto a six-foot-

diameter sphere: http://www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium/sos.html. Most datasets in the

SOS catalog were created by NOAA and NASA and are freely available for public use.

Atmospheric datasets and displays can be accessed from

http://www.sos.noaa.gov/Datasets/list.php?category=Atmosphere.

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Standards:

Nā Honua Mauli Ola

‘Ike ‘Ōlelo (Language Pathway)

‘Ike Honua (Sense of Place Pathway)

GLOs

GLO 3 Complex Thinker: 3.2 Considers multiple perspectives in analyzing and solving a

variety of problems.

GLO 4 Quality Producer: 4.1 Recognizes and understands what quality performances and

products are.

GLO 5 Effective Communicator: 5.1 Listens to, interprets, and uses information

effectively; 5.3 Reads with understanding various types of written materials and literature

and uses information for various purposes; 5.5 Observes and makes sense of visual

information.

GLO 6 Effective User of Technology: 6.2 Uses a variety of technologies to access and

manage information and to generate new information; 6.4 Uses the appropriate technologies

for communication, collaboration, research, creativity, and problem solving.

HCPS III

Grade 8 --Earth and Space Sciences

SC.ES.8.1-- Describe how elements and water move through solid Earth, the oceans,

atmosphere, and living things as part of geochemical cycles.

SC.ES.8.4-- Describe how heat and energy transfer into and out of the atmosphere and their

involvement in global climate

http://www.nupepa.org/

http://www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium/sos.html

http://www.sos.noaa.gov/Datasets/list.php?category=Atmosphere



SC.ES.8.6-- Describe how winds and ocean currents are produced on the Earth's surface

SC.ES.8.7-- Describe climate and weather patterns associated with certain geographic

locations and features

SC.8.8.6—Explain the relationship between density and convection currents in the ocean and

atmosphere.

Common Core

Grades 6-8 Reading Literacy Science & Technical

6-8.RST.3: Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking

measurements, or performing technical tasks.

6-8.RST.7: Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a

version of that information expressed visually.

6-8/RST.9: Compare and contrast information gained from experiments, simulations, video

or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text.

Grades 6-8 Writing

6-8.W.2: Write informative/explanatory text to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts,

and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

6-8.W.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources

and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.

Grades 6-8 Speaking/Listening

6-8.SL.2: Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats and explain how it

contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.

6-8.SL.5: Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify

information.

NGSS

Middle School Weather and Climate—Students will understand the following DCI:

MS-ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes

MS-ESS2.D: Weather and Climate

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Resources and Materials:

Animations & Tutorials:

S’COOL online tutorial for cloud types (NASA): http://science-

edu.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/tutorial/clouds/cloudtypes.html.

The Water Cycle (Hawaiʻi Board of Water Supply): http://www.hbws.org/watercycle/

Databases:

Hawaiian Language Newspapers: www.nupepa.org

NOAA National Weather Service:

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/view/national.php?thumbs=on.

Rainfall Atlas of Hawaiʻi (Geography Department, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa):

http://rainfall.geography.hawaii.edu/interactivemap.html

Demonstration Materials:

warm water

ice

glass jar

metal tray (wide enough to completely cover the opening of the jar)

matches

Electronic Equipment:

laptop

projector

Reading Materials:

Non-Instrument Weather Forecasting:

http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/ike/hookele/weather_forecasting.html.

The Water of Kāne (in Hawaiian and English): http://www.sacred-

texts.com/pac/ulh/ulh45.htm

Visual Materials:

NOAA/NASA Introduction to Clouds & Sky Watcher Chart: http://science-

edu.larc.nasa.gov/cloud_chart/PDFs/NOAA-NASA-CloudChart.pdf.

http://science-edu.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/tutorial/clouds/cloudtypes.html

http://science-edu.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/tutorial/clouds/cloudtypes.html

http://www.hbws.org/watercycle/

http://www.nupepa.org/

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/view/national.php?thumbs=on

http://rainfall.geography.hawaii.edu/interactivemap.html

http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/ike/hookele/weather_forecasting.html

http://www.sacred-texts.com/pac/ulh/ulh45.htm

http://www.sacred-texts.com/pac/ulh/ulh45.htm

http://science-edu.larc.nasa.gov/cloud_chart/PDFs/NOAA-NASA-CloudChart.pdf

http://science-edu.larc.nasa.gov/cloud_chart/PDFs/NOAA-NASA-CloudChart.pdf



NOAA/NASA Science On a Sphere Atmospheric Datasets:

http://www.sos.noaa.gov/Datasets/list.php?category=Atmosphere.

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Instructional Procedures:

1. ENGAGE:

Ask students how clouds are formed, accepting a variety of responses, and then

explain that clouds form from the condensation or freezing of water vapor.

Rhetorically ask if the students would like to see this phenomenon for themselves.

http://www.sos.noaa.gov/Datasets/list.php?category=Atmosphere



Fill the jar with warm water until it reaches a depth of 2 inches and then stir the

water.

Light a match, blow it out, and drop it into the water in the jar.

Once the resultant smoke clears, place the metal tray (containing the ice) on top of the

jar opening.

Have the students watch as a cloud forms near the top of the jar (and directly below

the tray). Ask the students what they think will happen if the metal tray is removed.

2. EXPLORE:

Show the students the S’COOL online tutorial for cloud types.

Divide the students into pairs, distributing copies of the NASA/NOAA Introduction to

Clouds and Sky Watcher Chart to each pair.

Encourage students to use the following diagnostic process (based on Dr.

Cartwright’s Cloud Identification Guide):

1. Is it raining?

If YES (especially with thunder, lightning, and/or heavy rain), your

cloud is a cumulonimbus.

If YES (but only drizzling with small raindrops), your cloud is a

nimbostratus.

If NO, go to number 2.

2. Is it high and wispy (like a horse’s tail)?

If YES, your cloud is cirrus.

If NO, go to number 3.

3. Is it flat and layered, puffy and bumpy, or a nearly solid layer of large puffs?

If FLAT & LAYERED, go to number 4.

If PUFFY & BUMPY, go to number 5.

If the size of the LARGE PUFFS are the same as your fist (or larger),

your cloud is a stratoculumus.

4. Is your cloud high or low? If high, is it thin or thick?

If HIGH & THIN (and the sun can still cast distinct shadows), your

cloud is a cirrostratus.

If HIGH & THICK (and there are hardly any shadows), your cloud is

an altostratus.

If LOW (and covering most of the sky), your cloud is a stratus.

5. Compare the size of the cloud’s puffs to different parts of your hand.

If the size of your FINGERNAIL, your cloud is a cirrocumulus.

If the size of your THUMBNAIL, your cloud is an altocumulus.

If the size of your FIST, your cloud is a cumulus.

Take the class outside and spend a few minutes observing clouds. Using the

NASA/NOAA reference sheets as well as David Malo’s descriptions, have students

record their observations.

3. EXPLAIN:



Review the water cycle.

Distribute the words to He Mele no Kāne and have students read it aloud together.

Afterwards, have students circle the words that reference different forms of water.

Have students illustrate (using imagery from their excursion outdoors), label, and

explain the water cycle using terminology from He Mele no Kāne.

4. ELABORATE/EXTEND:

Task students with taking pictures of unusual clouds and weather phenomena that

they witness (outside of class) within the next week. Have them identify what

meteorological features are manifesting (using a variety of English and Hawaiian

terms) and share their findings with the class.

Have students create slideshows (or other learning tools) that teaches about clouds

and weather prediction by incorporating scientific concepts and Hawaiian

terminology (similar to Droplets: The Kiwi Kids Cloud Identification Guide, which

incorporates Māori terms and can be found at http://science-

edu.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/pdf/Kiwi_Kids_Cloud_Guide.pdf).

5. EVALUATE:

Students will assess the quality of each other’s presentations as well as the quality and

completeness of the data being analyzed and presented.

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References

Atmosphere. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere.

Atmosphere of Earth. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s_atmosphere.

Cartwright, T. (2013). Cloud identification guide. Retrieved from

http://wvscience.org/clouds/Cloud_Key.pdf.

Cloud. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud.

Crawford, W. (1992). Mariner’s weather. New York City, NY: Norton.

Giambelluca, T.W., Q. Chen, A.G. Frazier, J.P. Price, Y.-L. Chen, P.-S. Chu, J.K. Eischeid, and

D.M. Delparte, 2013: Online Rainfall Atlas of Hawai‘i. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc. 94, 313-

316, doi: 10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00228.1. Retrieved from

http://science-edu.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/pdf/Kiwi_Kids_Cloud_Guide.pdf

http://science-edu.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/pdf/Kiwi_Kids_Cloud_Guide.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s_atmosphere

http://wvscience.org/clouds/Cloud_Key.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud



Kamehameha Schools. (2011). Ahupuaʻa maps. Honolulu, HI: Kamehameha Publishing.

Kyselka, W. (1987). An ocean in mind. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaiʻi Press.

Malo, D. (1951). Hawaiian antiquities (2nd ed.; N. B. Emerson, Trans.). Honolulu, HI: Bishop

Museum.

NASA. (2012). Cloud cookery [PDF document]. Retrieved from http://science-

edu.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/pdf/Cloud_Cookery.pdf.

Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL). (1996). Reading the wind: Navigation

and the environment in the Pacific [Teacher’s guide]. Honolulu, HI: Pacific Resources

for Education and Learning. Retrieved from

http://www.ethnomath.org/resources/prel1996.pdf.

Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS). (2012). Non-instrument weather forecasting. Retrieved

from http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/ike/hookele/weather_forecasting.html.

Pukui, M.K. and Elbert, S. H. (1986). Hawaiian dictionary (Rev. ed.). Honolulu, HI: University

of Hawai‘i Press.

Rain. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain.

Seidman, D. (1995). The complete sailor (2nd ed.). Camden, ME: International Marine.

Troposphere. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troposphere.

Water cycle. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_cycle.

Back to top

http://science-edu.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/pdf/Cloud_Cookery.pdf

http://science-edu.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/pdf/Cloud_Cookery.pdf

http://www.ethnomath.org/resources/prel1996.pdf

http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/ike/hookele/weather_forecasting.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troposphere

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_cycle

nā ao a me nā ua: clouds and rains (moisture...

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