LESSON 5 - COLLECTING WEATHER DATA
Background Information:
In order to make an accurate weather forecast, weather data must be collected from several observation stations and plotted. A weather network consists of several observation stations that share weather data with each other. Around the globe there are over 10,000 weather stations in 130 nations, weather balloons that rise into the upper level of the troposphere, plus thousands of ships at sea that transmit weather data as often as every 6 hours.
The National Weather Service (NWS), operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), tracks weather data & coordinates weather observers, that make up a national network of 10,000 NWS volunteers who take weather measurements every day. Trained volunteers, Skywarn spotters, send severe weather data to local weather service offices. The NWS issues weather forecasts, watches, advisories, and severe weather warnings every day. The NWS issues over 734,000 meteorological & 850,000 flooding forecasts, and over 45,000 severe weather warnings every year. NOAA also collects data that is relevant to global warming & ozone depletion issues.
The NWS (NOAA) operates NEXRAD, a network of doppler radars that detects all types of precipitation & atmospheric movement. The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) was created by the NOAA to manage the data gathered by the NWS and other government agencies and departments. NOAA currently operates 16 meteorological satellites in 3 separate constellations. These weather satellites relay weather data & images of sections of the US. Weather satellites transmit infrared photos (visible), cover a wide or narrow area, and travel through space to cover the most area.
Meteorologists use a standardized set of symbols to represent specific weather data that are used by meteorologist around the world. A meteorologist can immediately determine weather conditions for any location based on the weather symbols being used.
This lesson will assist students in plotting weather symbols on maps using data they have collected from the internet.
Explain to your students that weather data is generally collected at the same time every day. Because of the structure of these activities, we will have to collect our data over a period of several days.
Lesson Five Activities
- Activity 1: Reading and Interpreting Weather Maps
- Activity 2: Weather Symbols and Their Meaning
- Activity 3: Wind Speed, Temperature, Barometric Pressure
- Activity 4: High and Low Pressure Systems
- Activity 5: Warm and Cold Fronts
- Activity 6: Weather Satellites, Satellite Images, and Doppler Radar
