DataStreme Activity 12B:

WEATHER ON THE INTERNET

Do Now:

  1. Print this file.
  2. Print (when available) the Thursday, 6 December 2001, Daily Summary File.
  3. There are no images, but remain on-line or connect again to complete the activity.

To Do Activity:

  1. Read Chapter 12 in STUDY GUIDE, Part A: Narrative.
  2. Go to STUDY GUIDE, Part B: Applications. Start Activity 12B.
  3. Return here (Wednesday Activity B File) when told to do so.

Go To STUDY GUIDE - Activity 12B Now


WELCOME BACK: Procedure continued from STUDY GUIDE.

You must be "on-line" to complete this activity.

Congratulations, you are about to complete the last of 24 DataStreme activities which have been partially delivered by Internet. We hope you have enjoyed the challenge of DataStreme participation as you have investigated the fundamentals of meteorology and the excitement of current data delivered by Internet. Also, we hope that you will share what you have learned with your colleagues. The DataStreme Project will be ready to assist you in this regard.

As you no doubt already know, weather is a very popular Internet topic. The DataStreme course has, with few exceptions, exclusively directed your attention to its Homepage in order to keep the course focused. Now, we ask that you continue exploration of the rich resources your Internet connection provides. We have asked Dr. Edward Hopkins to provide a brief listing of Web addresses (including his own) that he thinks are of special value to educators. These links have been incorporated into a Homepage titled "DataStreme Junction". They are meant to be a starting point for further exploration of the use of real-time data for learning experiences.

While you are on-line, select (click on) the following address:

http://www.ametsoc.org/dstreme/junction/

Another mirror site for the Junction page is:

http://www.comet.ucar.edu/dstreme/junction/

We recommend that you save one of the Junction Homepage addresses ("bookmark" or "favorite place" list) so that you can return easily via point and click to this selected listing of sites. Although the Junction page is only a brief list, by scrolling down one or another of the Junction page selections and following its links, you can go in a few steps, to virtually any weather information on the Internet.

  1. Under the "United States Weather" section, fourth subheading on the Junction Homepage, titled "Radar", click on the "MSNBC Intellicast Weather".

    Observe the 3-part shadings scale below the radar map. A unique feature of the Intellicast radar display that is not shown on the DataStreme maps with radar echoes, is the indication of precipitation [(location) (type - rain/mixed/snow) (intensity)].

    Some of the latest versions of browsers, such as Netscape 3.0, allow you to interactively select regional radar displays from the map. Also, if your browser is capable, this site allows you to create a radar animation loop. Another menu choice above the map ("NEXRAD Imagery") will allow a choice of individual radar station views of reflectivity and radial velocity. These views are similar to those of the DataStreme Week 7 Activity A, page 7A-3.

  2. Return to the DataStreme Junction Homepage. You can hit the BACK button until you are back at the DataStreme Junction page, retype the address, or go to your bookmark or favorite place link.

  3. Return to the DataStreme Junction Homepage. Again under "United States Weather" section, a source for severe weather data is the first button item, "Overview" for the NWS "Weather Page". Click that link to see a collage of weather imagery. Click on the colored US map in the lower center. The US map shows the states currently under an active warning using the color [(red) (yellow) (blue)]. Further clicking on that state brings up links to local conditions, forecasts, and additional data.

In this way, you can move around the Internet finding weather data from the relatively few initial sites given on the DataStreme Junction homepage. Please take some time to explore the links provided and where they lead to find the types of information that may be of interest to you. We have also included an educational section which links to reference material such as the National Science Education Standards, for example. Hopefully, this page will be useful as a starting point for most searches and you only need to "bookmark" those items that you will visit frequently. We ask that you introduce your colleagues and students (as appropriate) to the quality sources of meteorological data listed on the DataStreme Junction homepage. Happy "surfing"!

We ask that you visit the Junction Homepage as well as the familiar DataStreme Homepage while the course is being presented in future semesters. Meteorological data will continue to be available year around.


We welcome communications from you. You may contact us via the email address near the bottom of the DataStreme Homepage or Junction Homepage. If you have teaching or other ideas that promote the use of current weather information across the curriculum, please let us know. We are especially interested in hearing of (a) how DataStreme led to inquiry-based learning in your classrooms, (b) how you have used your DataStreme learning experiences to teach other content skills, such as technology, arithmetic, graphing, and communications reinforcement, and (c) how you are assisting your colleagues and schools as DataStreme Weather Education Resource Teachers. Also, if you have instances where you have included DataStreme Project or weather materials in your district or state curricula or frameworks, we would appreciate knowing details.

Congratulations on your completion of the DataStreme course and best wishes for your future Weather Education Resource work.


Faxing Instructions:

After completing this week's applications, fax the following pages to your LIT mentor by Monday, December 10, 2001, or take to last DataStreme course group meeting, whichever is appropriate to your local arrangements for the end of the course:

  1. Chapter 12 Progress Response Form
  2. 12A and 12B Activity Response Form
  3. Part B: Applications, page 12A-2 (Hurricane track map)

Return to DataStreme Homepage

URL: datastreme/learn/b_act.html
©Copyright, 2001, American Meteorological Society