Lab

Lab and instructions are attached.

Textbook: Earth Science , Tarbuck and Lutgens, Prentice Hall, 14th ed.

Earth Science

Lab # 6 (Summer)—Earth Science

Weather

Purpose: To keep a weather diary to check the accuracy of local forecasts for a given location.

One of the forecasting tools used by weathermen is the historical record for a given location coupled with the type of weather approaching the region. Although general comments can be made such as “high pressure signals good weather” or “low pressure signals bad weather”, the actual prediction depends on the location in question and the weather for the preceding days for that location.

In this first of two weather labs, you will keep a “weather diary” for a week which will reflect the
predicted
high temperature, low temperature, and weather conditions for a given location each day as well as the
actual
weather conditions for that same location. The data for this diary must come from an Internet source or a newspaper (most of the local TV stations have a website with weather information if you don’t like one of my suggestions below.) You must use the same source everyday and you should get the
predicted
weather the day BEFORE each entry date and the
actual
high and low temperatures the day AFTER each entry date. If you are doing this for your home location (which I suggest), you can use what you observe outside in the blank labeled “Actual Weather” each day.

Procedure:

1. Although this lab is for one full week’s worth of weather, it may take more days to compete the data record so plan ahead. You can start any day of the week that you want, but you need the forecast from the day before.

2. You can use the data sheet provided under the icon on the lab page of Blackboard or make up your own. However, the minimum amount of information for each day consists of the predicted high, low, and weather (from the day before) and the actual high, low, and weather (on the day following.)

3. Once you have gathered the data for all days, you should construct 3 line graphs as described below.

a) Using the 7 days of the week as the horizontal axis and temperature as the vertical axis, plot the forecasted high temperatures as a line graph (connected dots.) On the same graph, plot the actual high temperatures as a line graph. Be sure to label completely.

b) (New graph) Using the 7 days of the week as the horizontal axis and temperature as the vertical axis, plot the forecasted low temperatures as a line graph (connected dots.) On the same graph, plot the actual low temperatures as a line graph. Be sure to label completely.

c) (New graph) Using the actual high and low temperatures for the 7 days, find the average temperature for each day. Using the 7 days of the week as the horizontal axis and temperature as the vertical axis, plot the average temperatures for the week. Be sure to label completely.

Questions:

1. Compare the actual temperatures to the predicted temperatures for the first two graphs and discuss any trends observed. Explain you reasoning for each.

2. Looking at the third graph (average temperatures), do you see any trend for the week. Explain your reasoning.

3. Explain why this weather diary may or may not be useful for the same week next year.

4. Comparing the forecasted weather and the actual weather for the whole week, how would you rate the forecasting ability of the source you chose? Explain your reasoning.

Suggested Weather Sites:

The Weather Underground at

http://www.weatherunderground.com/

At the top left corner, type in your zip code or the zip code that you will observe for the week and after the local forecast is loaded in Internet Explorer, save this as a Favorite. I like this site as it is easy to click on “Yesterday’s Official Weather” to get the actual readings from the day before.

The Weather Channel at

http://www.weather.com/

Near the top, type in your zip code or the zip code that you will observe for the week and after the local forecast is loaded in Internet Explorer, save this as a Favorite. To see the current forecast for the next day, scroll down. To see yesterday’s actual readings, click on “Yesterday” in the yellow bar near the top (you may have to choose a different town as all reference points don’t collect temperature data.)

National Weather Service (NOAA) at

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/

When the opening screen loads, click on Arkansas on the U.S. map. (If you are not doing this diary for some place in the continental U.S., this site won’t work well.) On the next screen, look below the map and choose a town (or the nearest one to you) and the seven day forecast will come up. To see what happened yesterday, you click on 2-day history, but the information is very detailed and hard to read.

WritingLab Reports

Earth Science Online

Each lab report should contain the following:

I. Heading: This should be the name and number of the lab, the date, and your name.

II. Purpose: A one or two sentence purpose in your own words. Do not copy mine.

III. Procedure: A one or two paragraph explanation of what went on in the lab

exercise. I don’t want fine details—this is an overall view.

IV. Data and/or Observations: Some labs will ask you to record numbers and/or make

observations—these should be in your report. Many of the online labs do NOT ask

you to do this—don’t make up stuff that isn’t called for.

V. Sample calculations: If the lab procedure asks you to calculate something, show

your work.

VI. Results: If the lab procedure asks you to calculate something and/or make a

decision (such as the type of mineral present), you should show these results. Again,

many of the online labs do NOT ask you to do this.

VII. Questions: This is probably the most important part of the report in that it shows

me that you did the exercise and hopefully learned from it. You need to write the

QUESTIONS as well as the ANSWERS. Please write your Answers using bold or

italic letters – it will really help me grading

VIII. Conclusion: A one sentence statement as to whether you achieved the purpose or

not.

Lab Reports should always include I, II, III, VII, and VIII. They may be submitted electronically

by attaching them to the assignment box. They must be done with MS WORD.