Theme
Compare weather forecasts to observe weather phenomena
Background
The maintenance of meticulous weather records over very long periods of time has given meteorologists and climate researchers the tools to monitor global climate changes.
Researchers in all the scientific disciplines have known for some time that relationships between different sets of data often are only apparent when the data are compared in graphical form. The first signs of a greenhouse effect may appear in our long-term weather patterns.
Project
Using Internet weather reports, create a spreadsheet of local weather forecasts for your region for a period of at least one calendar month; e.g., daily high and low temperatures, air pressure if reported, and precipitation. Compare the forecasts to actual reported weather conditions for those days. Document the effect of the weather phenomena each day with 3-5 carefully composed photographs.
In a digitally designed document that reports your investigation, incorporate:
- an effectively presented data table
- a spreadsheet with formulae for monthly averages of all
the observations - a representation of all the observations in the form of a single graph, made either directly from the spreadsheet or through combining separate graphs.
- select 3-5 carefully composed photographs