Fieldwork Topic: Instruments

An automatic weather station usually consists of a number of outdoor weather sensors which communicate with a display unit indoors, which can in turn often be linked into a PC to store and display data. The link between the instruments outdoors and the display inside can be wireless, although the range will be 100m at best.

A weather station for your school – guidance for setting up a school weather station: Why you need one; what to buy; where to put it; what to do with the data.

What can I use my school weather station for?

If you would like to submit high quality weather observations to a UK network, try the Met Office Weather Observations Website or COL.

Some specific lesson ideas:

Several resources at all levels based on using weather station data from the WOW website

KS2/3 science: Use automatic weather station data together with the Met Office resources to study the difference between day and night and to look at the seasons .

KS3/ 5 geography or maths: Use automatic weather station data to see whether there is a relationship between air pressure and rainfall amount. Does most of our rainfall in the UK occur when the pressure is low?

KS 4/5 geography, science or maths: Does it rain more at weekends? An experiment trialled at Manchester Science Festival

KS3/ 4 science or geography: fieldwork ideas for teachers and students Red sky.pdf with an introductory concept cartoon from the ASE.(The full workbook may be purchased at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Edexcel-Level-Projects-Student-Extended/dp/1846903645)

KS3/ 5 geography: look at the current wind speed and direction (you could also use WOW data for this). How do they relate to the orientation and spacing of the isobars on the current analysis chart? This could be used in conjunction with the introduction to weather maps.

What are other schools using their weather stations for?

Have a look at the websites of
Pitsford Hall school weather station
Reigate Grammar School 
Maiden Erlegh School

London grid for learning together with curriculum links

Why have an automatic weather station?

There are many advantages to an automatic weather station. Weather observations can be made more quickly and conveniently. The sensors can be placed well out of the way and reduce the chances of vandalism – and (in the case of wind measurements, for example) in a better exposed location than would be possible with manual instruments. With a PC link, the data can be used for all sorts of projects, from simple averaging ones to looking at correlations between different measurements such as wind direction and temperature. The main disadvantage of an automatic weather station is that it removes the observer from the real elements being measured, and so the experience of what -5ºC temperatures or 30 knot winds feel like, is lost.