WD2 Analyze meteorological data

Suggested time: 5-7 hours

Learning Objectives

1. Explain how to collect meteorological data using appropriate methodologies and technologies.
   
2. Recognize situations where measurement is necessary and select the appropriate measuring tool. (NUM)
   
3. Express meteorological data qualitatively and quantitatively. (NUM)
   
4. Value the role and contribution of science and technology in our understanding of phenomena that are directly observable and those that are not. (TL, CD 6.3)
   
5. Display meteorological data in a variety of formats including diagrams, tables, charts, and graphs. (NUM)
   
6. Analyze meteorological data for a given time span using appropriate methodologies and technologies.
   
7. Identify commonly used symbols on meteorological and news weather maps. (COM)
   
8. Relate personal collection of weather data to branches of science such as meteorology.
   
9. Describe examples of Canadian contributions to science and technology in the field of meteorology (e.g., satellite data collection, analysis/forecasting, and modeling) .
   

Enrichment Learning Objectives

1. Identify and explain possible sources of error and uncertainty in measurement when collecting and interpreting weather data.
   

Key Questions

1. What are some benefits of collecting meteorological data?
   
2. What technologies do meteorologists use for collecting data, and how do these technologies work?
   
3. How do meteorologists display data for themselves and for the public?
   
4. What are the essential characteristics of your local weather patterns?
   

Key Concepts

• Humidity is the amount of water vapour in a sample of air.
  
• Relative humidity is the percentage of water vapour that is actually in a sample of air compared with the amount of water vapour the air would contain at that temperature if it were saturated.
  
• Atmospheric (barometric) pressure is the pressure exerted by air on its surroundings due to the weight of the air.
  
• Temperature is a measure of the average speed of molecules. Typical units are °C.
  
• Dew point temperature is the temperature to which air would have to be cooled to reach saturation with respect to liquid water.
  
• Wind speed is a measure of the rate that air is moving. Typical units are m/s, km/h, or knots.
  
• Wind direction is the direction from which the wind blows.
  
• A barometer is a device used to measure atmospheric pressure. Typical units are mb, mmHg, or kPa.
  
• A thermometer is a device used to measure temperature. Typical units are °C.
  
• An anemometer is a device used to measure wind speed. Typical units are km/h or knots.
  
• A wind vane is a device used to indicate the direction from which wind is blowing (e.g., a North wind comes from the North).
  
• A rain gauge is a device used to measure the amount of rainfall. Typical units are mm.
  
• A hygrometer or psychrometer is a device used to measure the atmospheric humidity.
  
• A front is the leading edge of an air mass.
  
• A warm front is the leading edge of a warm air mass.
  
• A cold front is the leading edge of a cold air mass.
  
• A stationary front forms when a cold and warm air mass meet, but neither moves.
  
• An occluded front forms when a cold front overtakes a slower-moving warm front.
  
• Isotherms are lines on weather maps that connect points of equal temperature.
  
• Isobars are lines on weather maps that connect points of equal pressure.
  
• The jet stream is the name for high-speed winds in the upper troposphere.
  
• A gradient is a description of a pattern that includes the magnitude and direction of the change.
  
• Scientists strive for accuracy in measurements, while recognizing that all measurements are subject to uncertainty based on the limits of the measuring device.
  
• Interpreting data is a process based on finding patterns in a collection of data that leads to generalizations.
  

Pre-Instructional Questions

1. Are students able to identify standard measurements for common weather phenomena: relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, amount and type of precipitation, sky conditions, and temperature?
   
2. Are students able to identify and explain the use of meteorological instruments (e.g., thermometer, barometer, hygrometer, rain gauge, sling psychrometer, anemometer, weather vane, humidity gauge, computer sensors, or probeware)?
   
3. Do students understand the methods that scientists use to display and analyze weather?
   
4. Are students able to identify commonly used symbols on various types of weather maps?
   
5. Are students able to identify appropriate sources of meteorological data?
   
6. Are students able to identify patterns in weather data and relate these to actual weather conditions?
   

Suggested Teaching Strategies and Activities

1. Students should keep a weather journal for a week or more. The journal should include some or all of the following entries: time, temperature, humidity (dew point and relative humidity), wind speed and direction, pressure, and sky conditions. Readings should be taken at the same time and location each day. Students could discuss related issues such as:
   
   • the value of both qualitative and quantitative observations of weather-related data.
     
   • the role of personal observations in developing hypotheses about local weather conditions.
     
   • the benefit of paying close attention to weather patterns from the perspective of people whose daily lives are affected by the weather.
     
   
   
2. Students could explore the ways in which humans obtain information about the weather. Students could explain how in the past humans relied exclusively on the use of their senses (i.e., taste, smell, sight, hear, touch) to relate to the weather and followup the explanations by writing descriptions of the current weather using all of the senses. Students should be able to find relevant references to the weather in literature and art. Student exploration might then focus on the use of technologies to extend our senses (e.g., satellite imaging, weather balloons, Doppler radar, airborne meteorological observations, barometers, thermometers, and hygrometers). The class could discuss the strengths and limitations of these technologies, especially as compared to human senses.
   
   
3. Students could develop and carry out a plan for the collection of meteorological data within their community. The plan should indicate which physical quantities will be observed and recorded (e.g., temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation) and which instruments will be used for data collection (e.g., thermometer, barometer, hygrometer, rain gauge, sling psychrometer, anemometer, weather vane, humidity gauge, computer based probes). Students should design an appropriate data table to record both qualitative and quantitative data for the given period. Students could use weather collection and/or analysis software for this purpose. There are many free and inexpensive software programs for this purpose, some of which allow the user to download weather data directly from the Internet. (IL, NUM)
   
   
4. Students should obtain climate and weather data for a specific location (e.g., their own community) and period from a resource such as Environment Canada's National Climate Data and Information Archive. They should then graph this data in a manner that will facilitate further analysis. Students should develop generalizations about weather patterns in the region and suggest weather-related questions for further study based on analysis of these data. ( CCT , IL )
   
   
5. Students should use a key to interpret the weather station symbols on a meteorological weather map. Variables in a station model may include: air temperature, visibility, weather condition, dew point temperature, wind speed and direction, type of cloud, amount of cloud cover, and atmospheric pressure. Students should write a summary of the weather at one specific station from their interpretations of the symbols. The class could discuss the reasons for adopting standard symbols on weather maps throughout the world. (COM, TL)
   
   
6. Given a series of weather maps for a region, students should correlate observations and weather conditions. Students could identify types of precipitation, wind direction, wind speed, frontal systems (warm/cold, and pressure systems (high/low). Students should be able to identify the common patterns of weather that occur across Saskatchewan .
   
   
7. Students could create a weather map of their region. The map should indicate the types of precipitation, wind direction, wind speed, frontal systems (warm/cold), and pressure systems (high/low) along with isotherms and isobars. Students could exchange maps and then create weather reports that are based on their maps. (COM)
   
   
8. Students could observe satellite and radar images of weather in Canada to compare and contrast these meteorological maps with each other and with news weather maps that provide temperature, precipitation, jet stream, pressure, and frontal system information. The class could discuss the value of each type of map or image in conveying weather information and the need for different types of data displays for meteorologists and the public.
   
   
9. Meteorologists use a wind rose to determine the prevailing wind direction in a region. Students could construct a wind rose for their region using either personally collected or published data. Have students consider if a wind rose that was created using one or two months of data would be a reliable indicator of wind patterns in the region at other times of the year.
   
   
10. Students could locate a resource that provides the current view of the jet stream, observe and record the flow of the jet stream for three or four days, and describe the relationship between the jet stream and weather across Canada.
    
    
11. Students could select one weather variable (e.g., temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, or precipitation) and research the advances in instrumentation used for collecting, analyzing, and displaying weather data, and the contributions Canadians have made to the development of these technologies. Students should be encouraged to explore how technological trends can positively affect work and learning opportunities. (TL, CD 6.3)
    
    
12. Plans for building various weather instruments (e.g., barometer, wind vane, anemometer, rain gauge, compass) using common materials can be readily found on the Internet. Students could build these instruments, test them, and compare their accuracy with store-bought or professional meteorological equipment. Students could also describe the principles that govern the operation of the instruments. (TL)