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A Weather Satellite spies on Europe, with Radiosonde balloons afloat in the background. |
A synchronized release of helium balloons toward the high lecture-room ceiling began Act One, representing the worldwide synoptic radiosonde network. Participants were grouped around travel posters denoting the world's continents and oceans (in proportion to the actual number of observers per continent) and personified the different types of weather observations. Simultaneously, students play-acted Doppler radar (using a flashlight) and satellites (using binoculars). The "commercial aircraft" did his/her best imitation of a five-year-old imitating an airplane. During the mayhem of Act One, the instructor — adopting the role of Richardson's "conductor," complete with suit and baton — explained to the students the range of weather data gathering tools and the disproportionate distribution of weather observations across the globe. The latter was made evident by the large number of students grouped around the North America poster and the loneliness of the Antarctica and Africa "observers."
| "THE FORECAST FACTORY" | |
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| Your Role Is: RADIOSONDE LAUNCHER Asia |
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| You Appear In: ACT ONE: OBSERVATIONS |
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| WHERE GO: | To the Asia poster |
| YOU NEED: | A balloon (representing a radiosonde) |
| WHAT DO: | Hold on to the balloon until I say "Go!" Then, hold on to the string and let the balloon rise. Let the balloon go up, but don't let the balloon get away from you, or you owe $$! |
| AFTER THAT: | Pay attention to how data turns into a forecast! |
| IN REAL LIFE: | Radiosondes are launched every 12 hours, every day, by trained meteorologists. The temperature, wind and moisture data gathered from them as they rise through the troposphere and stratosphere are absolutely critical for accurate weather forecasts! Especially for regions downstream of Asia, e.g. the U.S.! More radiosondes = better forecasts, but it costs $$ to send them up, so... |
On to Act Two >>
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