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WEATHERSTATION OVERVIEW
Weatherisallaroundus,andhasabigimpactonour
daily lives, even if we don’t pay that much attention
to it. For sailors, a “weather eye” is essential.
Observations of wind, sky, waves, pressure,
temperature,andhowtheychangeovertimecanbe
combined to form a picture of the present weather
and how it might be changing. Additionally, all of
these factors influence one another and inform a
sailoraboutthebestcourseofactioneachday.
Scientists also need to pay attention to the weather
because plant and animal behavior can change in
different conditions, and measurements might be interpreted differently depending on weather
conditions. We collect weather data in every program. Students observe sea, sky, wind, and
temperatureconditionsandthinkabouthowthatdatamightberelevantforsailorsandscientists.
LEARNINGGOALS
StationObjective
Studentswillbeableto:
1.
StationConcepts
Studentswillknow:
Explainwhyweatherdatais
usefultoscientists,sailors,and
recreationalists.
1a. Scientistsuseweatherinformationtointerprettheirdata
andplantheirdatacollectionsotheystaysafe.
1b. Sailorsuseweatherinformationtostaysafeandmakea
plantogetwheretheywanttogo.
1c. Recreationalists–youandme–needtowatchthe
weathertostaysafeanddressappropriatelyforthe
weather.
2a. Winddirectionandspeeddeterminewhereandhowfast
asailboatcantravel.
2b. Cloudtypesgiveinformationaboutthekindofweather
2. Observethewind,sky,andsea
thatisonitsway.
conditions,andmeasuretheair
andsurfacewatertemperature. 2c. Weathercomponentsinteractandfeedbackonone
another.Withpractice,apersoncanpredictwhen
weatherwillchange.
2d. Waterclarityisanindicationoflakehealth.
3.
Describethecausesandeffects
ofchangesinwaterclarity.
3a. Waterclarityisinfluencedbysuspendedparticlesinthe
waterandthepigmentofthewater.
3b. ZebraandQuaggamusselshavefilteredmuchofthe
planktonoutofthewaterinLakeMichigan,which
increaseswaterclarity.
3c. Clearerwaterisbeautiful,butitalsoprovideslessfood
forthefoodweb,andmakesnuisanceplantgrowthmore
likely.
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TOOLS
Windgauge
Visibilitychart
Secchidepthgraphs(annual/monthly)
Digitalthermometer
Secchidisk
Clouddiagramsandpictures
MapsofmusseldensityinLMI
Airandwatertempgraph(monthly)
Bucket
Foodwebdiagram
IMPORTANCEOFTHESTATION
SETUPSTATIONMATERIALS
Meetattheshipatleast30minutesbeforethestudentsarescheduledtoarrive.Thisgivestimeto
learnimportantinformationaboutthegroupfromtheleadinstructor,setupstationmaterials,and
solveanyunforeseenproblemsbeforedeparture
Peopleworktogethertomakesureallweatherstationsaresetupbeforetheprogrambegins;
individualsdonotsetuptheirownweathermaterials.Eachteachingstationneedsthesematerials:
o Weather bucket: Bucket with secchi disk and line inside
o Weather packet: Plastic envelope with all laminated materials inside
o Digital thermometer (put in weather packet envelope)
o Wind gauge (put in weather packet envelope)
o IfaNextGenprogram:Allstationsstillneedthefullsetofweatherequipment.Onlythe
fishgroupcollectstheweatherseaconditionsatanchor,buteveryonecancollectthisinfoat
thedock,andallgroupscollectthesecchidepth.
TEACHINGTHESTATION
Afterthefishtrawlisonboard,studentswillstarttheweatherstation;theLeadInstructorwilllet
youknowwhentobegin.Someobservationsshouldbetakenwhileunderway(visibility,cloud
types,percentcloudcover,precipitation,waveheight,andairtemperature),whileothersrequire
thevesseltobestopped(winddirection,windspeed,surfacewatertemperature,andwater
clarity).
Beforetakinganymeasurements,discusstheimportanceofrecordingweather(todescribe
conditionsthatexistwhensamplesaretakenandtopredictweathertohelpthecaptaindecideif
andwheretosail).
à DonotloweranyequipmentoverthesideuntiltheleadinstructorgivesyoutheOK.
Ifequipmentisloweredoverthesidebeforetheanchorissecure,linescouldgettangledinthe
ship’spropellerorequipmentcouldbepulledoutofyourhands.
Instructionsforeachobservationarelistedbelowinanorderthatisoftenfollowedontheship
Measurementsthatcanbeperformedwhiletheshipisunderway.
Precipitation
Noteanyprecipitationatthetimeofobservation.Rain,snow,mixed,hail,ornonearethechoicesin
thelogbook,butyoustudentsrecordsomethingelseifitishappening.
Visibility
Thevisibilitychartsshowthedistanceinstatutemilestoseverallocationsthatmaybevisiblefrom
theshipduringtheSchoolshipProgram.Havethestudentsidentifyeachlocationthatisvisible
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fromtheship,startingwiththeclosest.Locatethefurthestpointofvisiblelandandnotethe
distanceonthenavigationchart.Thelogbookgivesachoiceofrangesforrecordingthis
information:0-3,3-8,8-14,14-20,20+.
CloudType(s)
Startbylookingattheskyandaskingstudentstodescribetheshapesofcloudtypestheysee(flat,
puffy,stringy,wispy,etc.).Letstudentsusethecloudchartsandphotostoidentifythecloudtypes
theysee.Notethechangingnatureofcloudsoverthecourseofthetrip.
PercentCloudCover
Makeanestimateoftheproportionoftheskycoveredwithclouds.Itcanhelptostartbyasking,
“Docloudscovermorethanhalfthesky,orlessthanhalf?”Thenconsiderifitiscloserto75%or
25%covered,dependingontheanswertothefirstquestion.Studentscanselectarangeforpercent
cloudcover;0-2%,3-25%,25-50%,50-75%,75-99%,and100%arethechoicesinthelogbook.
Theofficialdatasheetshouldgiveasinglenumberforpercentcloudcover.Ifyouarefillingitout,or
givinginformationtotheleadinstructor,estimateasspecificallyasyoucan–anumberlike63%is
totallyreasonable.
WaveHeight
Waveheightestimatesthedistancefromthecrestofawavetoitstrough(seediagrambelow).The
weatherserviceuseswaveheightincrementsof0-1ft.,1-2ft.,etc.andthisishowwerecordthe
dataaswell.Thinkofsomethingthatisaboutafootindiameter–likeabasketball,orahumanhead
–andimaginehowmanyyoucouldstackupinthatdepressionbetweenthewaves,withoutbeing
tallerthanthewaveitself.
Ifthereisinterest,discussfactorscaninfluencewaveheight(windspeed,winddirection,depth,
andsubstrate).
CREST
TROUGH
Barometricpressure
Theship’sbarometerislocatedinthepilothouseontheportside,inthecornerclosesttothestern.
Mostgroupswillnothavetimetogointothepilothousetoreadthebarometer–theFishgroup
mayhavetimetodothisontheNextGenprogram.Ifyoudocollectbarometricpressure,readin
inHg(inchesofmercury).
Measurementsthatrequiretheshiptobestill/atanchor.
WindDirection&WindSpeed
Winddirectioncanbeobtainedusingtheflagandtheship’scompass(orvisibilitychart)to
determinewhatdirectionthewindiscomingFROM.Forexample,iftheflagispointingeast,the
winddirectioniswest.
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Showthestudentshowtousethewindgaugetomakethewindspeedmeasurements.
1. Facedirectlyintothewind.Thismayrequirealittletrialanerrortogetjustright.
2. Holdinstrumentwitharmoutstretched,ateyelevel,sothenumberscaleisvisibletotheuser.
o Donotblockanyoftheholesinthebackoftheinstrument.Thiscanbeachievedby
graspingthefrontandbackofonesideoftheinstrumentwiththefingertips.
o Makesuretherearenoobstructionsinfrontoftheuserthatmightblockthewind.
3. Readthewindspeed:
o Ifthewindislessthan10mph,usethelowscale(1-10,leftside).
o Ifthewindisover10mph,coverthetopopeningwithanindexfingerandusethehigh
scale(10-60,rightside).
o Ifreadingiserratic,tryholdingthewindgaugehigher,outoverthesideoftheship,or
movestudentsuptotheforedeckorawayfrommasts,shrouds,orothersourcesof
turbulence.
4. Recordwindspeedinmph.ItisOKtorecordarangesincewindspeedisvariable.Thewind
speedswerecordinthedatabaseare:none,1-5,6-10,11-15,16-20,20+
InlandSeasalsohasananemometeronthetopoftheforemasttomeasurewindspeed.Itconsists
ofcupsonspokesthatareturnedbytheforceofthewind(calculatedbythenumberoftimesthe
cupsturninafixedamountoftime).Thewindspeedcanbereadoffasmallboxinthepilothouse.
Itismeasuredinknots(1mph=1.15knots).
AirTemperature&SurfaceWaterTemperature
Taketheairtemperaturefirst.Ifthethermometeriswetitwon’treadairtemperatureaccurately.
Makesurestudentsholdtheprobeendofthermometerawayfromallsurfacessothereisgoodair
circulationaroundthethermometer.Recordthetemperaturewhenthenumbersstopchanging.It
maytakeaminuteormoreforthistooccur.
Helpstudentscollectabucketofwatertomeasurethewatertemperature.Donotcollectwater
untiltheLeadInstructorhasgivenyoutheOKtoputthingsovertheside.Whencollectingwater,
alwaysmakesurethereisastudentholdingtightlytotheropeend.Showastudentshowtoturn
thebucketupsidedownandtossitopen-endtowardthewater.Ifwaterdoesnotgoinrightaway,
studentscanusetheropetoswingthebucketbackandforthtodipthemouthofthebucket
underwater,ortheycanjusthaulthebucketbackonboardandtryagain.Trytogethalfabucketof
waterormore.Alargervolumeofwaterwillholditstemperaturelongeronceitisonboard.
Directionsforuseofthedigitalthermometers:(fulldirectionsintheappendix)
1. Neversubmergethedigitalthermometers.Eventhoughtheyclaimtobe“waterproof”
experiencehasshownusthatwaterleaksintothebatterycompartment.Itshouldonly
take8secondstogetregisteraconsistenttemperaturefromwater.
2. Holdthethermometerneardigitalscreenandallofthebuttons.Theotherendcontains
themeasurementprobeandholdingthatendwillreadthetemperatureofyourhand.
3. Themeasurementprobeiscoveredbyaplasticcasing.Thecasingdoesnotneedtobe
removedtomeasuretemperature,althoughsometimesisitagoodideatoremoveiton
hotdays,sincethecasingcanradiateheatontotheprobe.
4. Onwarmdays,ifthethermometerhasbeenindirectsunlight,intheweatherpackets,or
otherwiseextra-warm,giveittimetocooloffbeforerecordingairtemperature.
5. IfthescreensaysHOLD,MAX,orMIN,itwillnotreadproperly.TaptheMODEbutton
untilthesemessagesgoaway.
6. Turnthermometeroffwhenyouaredoneusingittoextendbatterylife.
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OurdigitalthermometersreadinFahrenheitandCelsius.Butitisstillfuntoteachstudentstomake
theconversionintheirheads:
Temperature Conversion Formulas
The hard way (always accurate):
Shortcut (accurate in everyday temp ranges):
ºC = (ºF - 32)/1.8
ºC = (ºF - 30)/2
ºF = (ºC x 1.8) + 32
ºF = (ºC x 2) + 30
AshorthandwaytoconvertfromdegreesFahrenheittodegreesCelsiusistousetheformulashown
above,butroundoffthetwoconversionvaluesto2and30foreaseofcalculation.Forexample,if
thewatertemperatureis50ºF,thetemperatureindegreesCelsiusis:ºC=(54ºF-30)/2=12ºC.To
convertfromCelsiustoFahrenheit,gotheotherway:ºF=(12ºCx2)+30=54ºF.
WaterClarity
HelpstudentsunderstandhowtousetheSecchidisk:
1. HaveastudentunwindthelinearoundtheSecchidisk.Anotherstudentshouldholdthebitter
endoftheline.
2. Haveastudentlowerthediskintothewater,withallstudentskeepingtrackofthecalibrations
alongtheline(eachmarkisameter)untilthediskdisappears.Notethisdepth.
3. Raisethediskuntilitisvisibleagain.AveragethetwodepthstoobtaintheSecchidiskdepth.
4. Usetheshadysideoftheboatwhenpossible.
5. Discusswhatcausesturbidity(plankton,dissolvedandsuspendedmaterials)duringthis
activityandtherolethatzebramusselshaveplayedinincreasingwaterclarityintheGreat
Lakes.Thephoticzone(theupperregionofthelakewherethereisenoughlightfor
photosynthesis)is2-3timesthedepthoftheSecchidiskmeasurement.Phytoplankton(plant
planktonthatrelyonthisavailablelight)aretheprimaryproducersresponsibleformuchofthe
dissolvedoxygeninthelake.ThisprovidesaconnectionbetweentheSecchidiskdepth,the
planktonsample,andthewaterchemistryanalysis.
Teaching Tip:
It is very important to allow students to use all of the weather instruments while gathering data. This
interaction with the equipment will enhance their experience and keep them better engaged. Try to
get the students to think in terms of making predictions about the weather for the next day.
DATACOLLECTION
Theweatherpageofthestudentlogbook(shownbelow)hasblankspacesforalltheobservations
describedabove.Encouragestudentstocompletethisportionofthelogbookwhileintheweather
station,includingthetemperatureconversions.ThesurfacewatertemperatureandSecchidisk
deptharealsolistedontheWeatherStationpageofthestudentlogbook,althoughtheywillbe
discussedagainduringtheWaterChemistryStation.
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VOCABULARY
Anemometer:instrumentusedformeasuringwindspeed.
Barometer:instrumentusedtomeasureairpressure.
Secchidisk:instrumentusedtomeasurewaterclarity.
BACKGROUNDINFORMATION
WindGauge
Ourwindgaugesworkbyavacuumcreatedbythewindmovingoveraholeatthetopofthegauge.
Thisvacuumcausesthelittleballinsidetheinstrumenttobedrawnupward.Ourwindgaugesread
inmph.InlandSeas'anemometer(ontopofforetopmast)readsinknots.
Anemometer
Thisinstrumentisusedformeasuringwindspeed.Acommontypeofanemometerconsistsofthree
orfourcupsonspokesthatareturnedbytheforceofthewind.Theinstrumentisusedtocalculate
windspeedbythenumberoftimesthecupsturninafixedtime.OnInlandSeas,thewindspeedcan
bereadoffasmallboxontheportsideofthepilothouse.Notethedirectionontheanemometer
displayinthepilothouseisthedirectionrelativetothedirectionoftheship–donotsimplyread
thedirectionoffthedisplay.
Barometer
Althoughabarometerisnotusedduringtheweatherstation,itisanimportantinstrumentand
shouldbementioned(timepermitting).Abarometerisaninstrumentusedtomeasureair
pressure.Wethenrefertothispressurereadingasthebarometricpressure.Thebarometric
pressureisusedbyweatherobserversasaguidetoweatherchanges.Highpressureisgenerally
associatedwithwarmer,sunnyconditionsandlowpressureisgenerallyassociatedwithcooler,
rainyconditions.Ifthebarometricpressureisrising,wecanexpectachangeforbetterweather,
whereasifitisfalling,wecanexpectachangefortheworse.
Therearetwotypesofbarometers:mercurybarometersandaneroidbarometers.Themercury
barometerissimplyacolumnofmercuryenclosedinaglasstubeandreservoir.Adecreaseinair
pressurecausesthemercurytofallwithinthetube.Anincreaseinairpressurecausesthecolumn
ofmercurytorise.Themovementofthiscolumnisreadasinchesofmercury.Thestandardforthis
scaleis29.92inchesofmercury–thismeansairwillsupportacolumnofmercury29.92inchestall.
Theaneroidbarometerismuchmorecommon.Thesearethetypesofbarometersusedduringthe
SchoolshipProgram.Theyhaveanairtightcontainerinwhichthereisapartialvacuum.Changesin
theairpressurecausetheboxtoexpandorcontract.Apointerattachedtotheboxmovesovera
dialandindicatesthischangeinpressure.Althoughtheaneroidbarometersdonotrelyonmercury
fortheirreadingofbarometricpressure,thegaugeisstandardizedtoreadthepressurein
traditionalinchesofmercury.ThereisamarineaneroidbarometeronInlandSeas,locatedjust
belowtheship'sclockinthepilothouse.OnManitou,theaneroidbarometerislocatedinthemain
cabinonthewallfacingthecompanionwayladder.
SecchiDisk
Asecchidiskisaweighteddiskthatisdividedintoblackandwhitequadrants.Itisusedtomeasure
thetransparencyofthewater.ThismethodwasfirstusedbyFatherPietroAngeloSecchi,anItalian
astronomerinthespringof1865ontheMediterraneanSea.
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REFERENCES
Donn,W.L.1975.Meteorology.McGraw-Hill,NewYork.
EichenlaubV.1979.WeatherandClimateoftheGreatLakesRegion.UniversityofNotreDamePress,
SouthBend,IN.
Lehr,P.E.,R.W.Burnett,andS.Z.Herbert.Weather(GoldenGuide).GoldenPress,NewYork,NY.
LeszekBledzki(LeadAuthor);NidhiNagabhatla(TopicEditor)"Secchidisk".In:EncyclopediaofEarth.Eds.
CutlerJ.Cleveland(Washington,D.C.:EnvironmentalInformationCoalition,NationalCouncilforScienceand
theEnvironment).[FirstpublishedintheEncyclopediaofEarthOctober15,2009;LastrevisedDateOctober
5,2010;RetrievedDecember21,2011<http://www.eoearth.org/article/Secchi_disk>
Schaefer,B.J.andJ.A.Day.1981.AFieldGuidetotheAtmosphere.HoughtonMifflinCo,Boston,MA.
Williams,J.1992.TheWeatherBook.VintageBooks,NewYork,NY.
InternetSitesofInterest
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=45002(accesstorealtimewindandwave
datafromtheweatherbuoyinnorthernLakeMichigan)
http://www.wxdude.com
http://www.intellicast.com(forecastmaps,radarsummariesofcitiesandregionsacrosstheUS)
DIAGRAMS&RELEVANTDATA
SuttonsBayVisibilityChart
GrandTraverseBayVisibilityChart
CloudCharts
ThermometerDirections
SecchiDiskDepth1989-2012
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Thermometerdirections
Probe end
ON/OFF
Press“ON/OFF”toturnon
ON/OFF
MODE
°C/°F
Press“ON/OFF”andholdtoturnoff
Measuretemperatureofair:
Exposetheprobeendtotheair,outofdirectsunlight.Theprobecovercanremainin
place.Observethenumbersuntiltheystopchanging.Itmaytakeseveralminutesfor
thermometertostabilizeintheair.
Measuretemperatureofwater:
Submergetheprobeendintothewater.Theprobecovercanremaininplace.Observethe
numbersuntiltheystopchanging(shouldtakeabout8seconds).Althoughthermometers
arewaterproof,holdthehousingabovethewater.Wehaveseewaterleakintothe
batterycompartmentandcorrodethebatteries.
°C/°F
Press“°C/°F“tochangetemperatureunits
MODE
AutoOFF:
Pressandhold“MODE”todisableAutoOFF;Uwillshowinthedisplay.
Toreactivate,pressandhold“MODE”andtheUwilldisappear.
IfAutoOFFisactivated,thethermometerwillautomaticallyshutoffwhenunattended.If
AutoOFFisdisabled,thethermometerwillnotturnoffuntiltheON/OFFbuttonispressed.
MakesureAutoOFFisactivated(noUinthedisplay)tomaximizebatterylife.
MAX/MIN:
Press“MODE”todisplaythestoredmaximumtemp.“MAX”willappearinthedisplay.
Pressagainforthestoredminimumtemperature.“MIN”willappearinthedisplay.
Pressagaintoreturntonormaloperatingmode.Realtimetemperaturewillonlybe
displayedwheninnormaloperatingmode.
ToresetthestoredMAXorMINtemperature:
WhenMAXorMINisdisplayed,pressandhold“MODE”until---appears.Thememory
selectediscleared.Press“MODE”toreturntonormaloperation.
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