Physics/Atmosphere Research Handwritten Observational Data,

Physics/Atmosphere Research

Handwritten observational data, plot graph and bar graph to follow. I need to speak with customer service about the best way to get them to you. I tried scanning them and the resolution was not good enough. I was unable to resolve the issue over the weekend but will follow up on Monday. As of 11 a.m. EST, I still have not heard from them.

The main thing is the two-page observational chart. The form that was included with your order is not editable text. If all else fails, I can type the info into a word document and you can recreate the handwritten chart.

Also, you will need to add the reference for your text book. I did not have bibliographic information in order to do that. The reference page is separate page that follows at the end of the document.

Introduction

The weather data recorded for Boston, Massachusetts, November 2010, illustrates well the changeable nature of late fall in New England. On the first day of the month, the temperature was 38 degrees Fahrenheit at ten o'clock in the morning. There was a strong breeze, with an estimated wind speed of 22-27 knots coming from the northwest. Temperatures climbed toward the middle of the month, reaching a November 2010 high of 63 degrees Fahrenheit on the 18th. The coldest day of the month, predictably, fell towards the end of the month, with a10 a.m. temperature recorded at 30 degrees on the 25th. The average 10 a.m. temperature for the month was 43.8 degrees. Slightly less than 1.75 inches of rain fell during the month. All the precipitation that fell was in the form of rain. It is not unusual to have snow in Boston during November, but it does not happen every year, as was the case in 2010.

Weather Observation Data

Appendix a is a chart of daily weather observations, showing date, temperature, wind direction, wind velocity estimated using the Beaufort Scale, kind and amounts of clouds, and kinds and amounts of precipitation. Appendix B is a time graph of temperatures, for which daily temperatures are plotted as ordinates and dates as abscissas. Appendix C shows a bar graph depicting precipitation in fractions of an inch. Precipitation is recorded as ordinates and dates once again as abscissas. Appendix D shows a wind rose generalized to the month based on data collected at 10 a.m. each day.

Interpretation of Data

There were five days in the month of November, 2010, that could be classified as clear. Temperatures ranged from 32 degrees to 50 degrees with either cloudless skies or skies with few cirrus clouds. Wind speeds and directions varied. Seven days were classified as overcast. Daytime heating is lessened because cloud cover blocks radiation penetration. This was evidenced in cooler temperatures following successive overcast days. Eleven days were classified as partly or mostly cloudy. Three days in November were characterized by morning fog. Approximately 1.75 inches of rain fell during the month, .5-inch during the period November 4-5, one inch during November 17-18, less than .5-inch during November 25-26, and less than .25 inches on the final day of the month.

Cirrus clouds are indicative of a warm front. Cirrus clouds were noted on the 1st, 12th, 13th, and 24th; warmer weather followed each day but on the 25th, when the clear sky turned partly cloudy and a small amount of precipitation fell. Cirrus clouds grade into cirrostratus and blend with sheets of altostratus clouds, creating conditions for rain. Although sheets of gray altostratus clouds were observed, fully covering the sky, from November 9-11, no rain fell during that period and the temperatures cooled slightly before warming up under clear skies on the 12th and 13th.

When a warm from passes, temperatures gradually rise. This was seen in the middle of the month, when temperatures fluctuated between 42 degrees on the 11th to 49 degrees on the 18th. There were only two clear days during that period, as noted above, although the 18th was mostly clear. Otherwise, the days were cloudy or completely overcast. This was the period which experienced the greatest rain fall for the month.

A marked temperature drop and wind shift from the southwest to the northwest generally accompany a frontal passage. This was seen most dramatically in the weather data for the period November 17-21, when the temperature plummeted from a balmy high of 60 degrees at 10 a.m. To just above freezing at the same time a few days later. These frontal passages were reflected in the newspaper weather maps observed during the time period.

The five-day forecasts for the observation period were quite accurate overall, with predicted high and low temperatures matching actual temperatures within an acceptable tolerance of up to 5 degrees. For November 17, it was predicted that approximately one-half inch of rain would fall. Instead, three-quarters of an inch was recorded.