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Surface Conditions
This information is valuable in defining the background against which the satellite observes clouds.
Surface Cover
We request information about the surface which affects what the satellite sees. We particularly want to know whether there is snow on the ground (decent snow cover, not just small isolated patches) and whether there are leaves on the trees. (To see an example of how different the world looks from space when the trees are in full, green leaf versus when the leaves have changed color in the fall, click here. And remember it will look even more different after the leaves fall off.) Also of interest is whether the ground is very wet from a recent rain. If there is one surface use in your area that is most common, you can report that upon registration, and anytime there is a major change (for example: city, wheat fields, forest, etc...). Keep in mind that the satellite sees an area of about 1 square km at a time, so describe the dominant surface cover for an area of about that size around your school.
The following information is helpful in defining the background surface, but is OPTIONAL. You can submit any or all of these measurements, depending on what instruments you have available and whether it is an appropriate measurement for your students to make.
Units
We ask for measurements in particular units. If you need help with unit conversions, here are two useful sites: http://www.sciencemadesimple.net/conversions.html or http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/box/calculate2.html. Google now also has the capability to do unit conversions. For example, in the search box enter "95 F in C". The top of the page will provide the answer. This also works for some other units (but we don't necessarily recommend this as the black box approach is not very educational).
Surface temperature
You can use an outdoor thermometer or take advantage of nearby resources such as airports or weather facilities where such observations are taken. If you use a thermometer, make sure it is not in direct sunlight, as this will make it read too high. Place it in the shade, or shade it with something. If you bring a thermometer from inside, make sure it has enough time to come to outdoor temperature before you take a reading. You may want to do a test beforehand to figure out how long this takes. We request readings in degrees Celsius, but will accept Fahrenheit as well.
Surface pressure
You can use a barometer or take advantage of nearby resources such as airports or weather facilities where such observations are taken. You can also try making a simple barometer. We request readings in hectoPascals (hPA) but will accept pressure in any units specified.
If you are really interested, there are some interesting twists to measuring pressure.
Surface relative humidity
You can use a wet and dry bulb hygrometer or take advantage of nearby resources such as airports or weather facilities where such observations are taken. You can also try making a sling psychrometer for this measurement. Ambitious folks, particularly in computer classes, may want to go through the whole calculation.
Relative humidity is recorded in percent.
Some links
You can also find some current weather information on-line at:
http://weather.noaa.gov/weather/curcond.html
or
http://www.cnn.com/WEATHER/.
Learn to Make your own weather station or how to measure the weather.
If you're interested, you can retrieve some historical data for the US from the National Climate Data Center.
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