Favorite Place with Google Earth

My favorite place would be Oswego, NY where I grew up on Lake Ontario and always enjoyed Britebeck Park and Harbor Fest.

They still haven't changed this since the 90s

The Perfect Storm

"The Perfect Storm" is the tragic story of Hurricane Grace that combine with a Nor'easter.  The storm developed on October 28 and lasted until November 4th of 1991.

This storm developed from a cold front on the East Coast of the U.S.  At the same time an extratropical low formed over Nova Scotia.  A ridge of high pressure in Canada forced this extratropical low downward where it grew in strength in warmer waters.  On October 29, 1991 Hurricane Grace arrived.  The storm hit its peak over Nova Soctia on November 1 and gradually weakened.

In it's wake it left a path of destruction over Massachusetts and New Jersey.  The storm left $200 million in damages and took 13 lives.  Six from the fishing boat the Andrea Gale.  The story of the crew was recaptured in the novel and movie The Perfefect Storm.

Hurricane Grace

The Perfect Storm and it's path

Wind Rose Plots

A Wind Rose plot is a visual representation of winds over a period of time, their wind speed, and how often they occur.
This is Macon GA at Warner Robins Air Base

Jan 1961

April 1961

Dec 1961

From the Warner Robins Station seen in this image:

Sun Trajectory

Sun Trajectory is the tracking of the suns position over time relative to Earth.  This can be done by anyone and results will be specific based on location as well as season.

To check it out for yourself:

http://www.suncalc.net/#/32.8407,-83.6324,11/2012.12.14/22:27

This link is pretty neat and will show date specific sun patterns.

In Macon, GA on October 30th the sun rose at at 7:54AM and set at 6:46PM.  By facing North we can track the location of the sun as it rises in the East and sets in the West.  The position of the sun will shift visibly from right to left relative to our perspective.

Below is my diagram of Macon

Specific Time/Temp relative to Sun Trajectory:

7:53AM (Red)
Temperature: 42.1F
Humidity: 58%

8:50AM (Orange)
Temp: 44F
Humidity: 51%

11:50AM (Yellow)
Temp:  54F
Humidity: 29%

1:50PM (Green)
Temp: 60F
Humidty: 20%

4:50PM (Blue)
Temp: 59F
Humidty: 19%

5:50PM (Purple)
Temp: 57F
Humidity: 22%

6:46PM (Black)
Temp: 54F
Humidity: 25%

Hurricane Wilma

Hurricane Wilma was a storm in the Atlantic that became a category five hurricane.  This hurricane at its peak reached 882mb of pressure and wind speeds of 175mph in the Caribbean Sea, and making land fall on the Yucatan Peninsula.  However the storm was able to recover and make landfall in Florida as a category three storm.

This storm began as a tropical depression over the Western Caribbean in October due to a area of persistent low pressure.  It was relatively weak until a burst of convection gave it enough energy to become a tropical storm.  The storm formed on the 15th of October and became a category one storm on the 18th as it moved westward.  Hours later the storm became a category four storm.This hurricane was so far west but still made it to Florida as a category three on the 24th of October.  This storm intensified over Florida with its eye and wind speeds in tact.  It began to weaken as it moved up the northeast coast.  This hurricane made it's way all the way up just south of Nova Scotia on October 25th where it became a extratropical storm.

Hurricane Wilma at its Peak

As Wilma hit Florida

This storm is amazing, the time frame of its formation traveling from Mexico up the Yucatan Peninsula and hitting Florida.  This terrorizing storm was one that did not want to leave.  This storm caused 68 inches of rain in 42 hours in Cancun, Mexico alone.  Havana Cuba was submerged under six feet of water, and parts of the Florida Keys were swallowed hole.

Rainfall as it hit Mexico

Seasonality

As the Earth rotates around the Sun, distance relative to the Sun changes.   This is in part due to the the tilt of the Earth.  In the Northern Hemisphere in the winter, the sun hits the Earth at a lesser angle and shorter days are experienced.  In the Southern Hemisphere it is the opposite.  To better demonstrate seasonality below are five global locations.


Oslo, Norway
Sunrise: 9:14AM
Sunset: 3:08PM
High Temp: 19 F
Low Temp: 16 F

Naples, Italy
Sunrise: 7:19AM
Sunset: 4:35PM
High Temp: 55F
Low Temp: 52F

Tunis, Tunisa
Sunrise: 7:24AM
Sunset: 5:03PM
High Temp: 63 F
Low Temp: 46 F

Ndjamena, Chad
Sunrise: 6:12AM
Sunset: 5:37 PM
High Temp: 91F
Low Temp: 51F

Cape Town, South Africa
Sunrise: 5:28AM
Sunset: 7:52 PM
High Temp: 90F
Low Temp: 68F

The First 3 pins represent the different locations starting at Oslo

Chad and Cape Town a bit harder to see

Temperatures close to the equator have little variation but as distance grows so does variation.  Sunrise and sunset times grow further apart the further apart from the equator.  To the North sunrise grows later and to the South it gets earlier.

How To Make a Barometer

A barometer is a instrument to measure pressure changes in the atmosphere.  It is used to help forecast short term weather events.

I made a Barometer in a few simple steps:

First you will need the following:

glass jar
balloon
rubber band
pair of scissors
straw
tape

To assemble the barometer:

1. Cover the top of your jar with a balloon. You want to create an airtight seal and a smooth surface.
2. Secure the balloon with a rubber band. The most important part of making the barometer is getting a good seal around the rim of the container.
3. Lay the straw over the top of the wrapped container so that about two-thirds of the straw is over the opening.
4. Secure the straw with a piece of tape.
5. Either tape an index card to the back of the container or else set up your barometer with a sheet of notebook paper behind it.
6. Record the location of the straw on your card or paper.
7. Over time the straw will move up and down in response to changes in air pressure. Watch the movement of the straw and record the new readings.

Make Your Own!!!! (link to a youtube video for even more barometer fun)

The barometer I made did not seem to waiver a great deal on a daily basis but days where I noticed pressure change without the barometer I could take a measurement and see a more significant change.  Over time I noticed the stress of the balloon stretching which may affect the reasonable value for daily changes.  The balloon over time would need to be changed at some point in time.