Barometer Assignment

For a lab assignment we were required to create a barometer and then use it to measure the atmospheric pressure. By definition a barometer is an instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure and is used especially in forecasting the weather and determining altitude.

We assembled the barometer using the following supplies: Balloon, Glass jar, Tape, Straw

The atmospheric pressures for the week are as follows:
10/29- 29.33, 10/30- 29.89, 10/31-30.05, 11/1- 30.14, 11/2- 30.03, 11/3- 30.09, 11/4- 29.97

Hurricane Katrina

For this current blog assignment we were told to research any hurricane that has occurred in our nation's history and report on it. I chose to do my research on Hurricane Katrina which mainly affected New Orleans on Aug 29, 2005. It was the second strongest hurricane ever recorded in the United States, with a storm surge of over 20ft high. The hurricane caused more than $75 billion in physical damages and the death toll remains at 1,836 primarily from Louisiana and Mississippi. 

Sun Trajectory Assignment

For this assignment we were told to track the sun as it appears in the sky for an entire day. The day for which I chose to draw the sun in the sky from sunrise to sunset was on October 31, 2012. The sun rose in the eastern horizon at approximately 7:51AM, the sun then set in the western hemisphere at 6:43PM. I was able to measure the sun moving throughout the sky at the hours of 8AM, 12PM, 3PM, 5PM while making my final observation at sunset. The average temperature for this day was about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. However the temperature varied by the hour: 

8AM: Temp- 42 Pressure- 29.90 Humidity- 65%

12PM: Temp- 60 Pressure- 29.93 Humidity- 31%

3PM: Temp- 69 Pressure- 29.85 Humidity- 22%

5PM: Temp- 69 Pressure- 29.84 Humidity- 24%

6:43PM: Temp- 62 Pressure-29.85 Humidity-37%

Google Earth Assignment

1. Choropleth Map: This map uses different colors and shading in order to identify the value and distribution of some property, typically a lighter color means a lesser value and vice versa

2. Dot Density Map: This map uses dots of uniform size in order to indicate the distribution of population, each dot represents a certain quality

3. Proportional Symbol Map: This type of map is used to demonstrate geographic data, it uses a symbol such as a circle in order to illustrate the value for a specific geographic area

4. Environmental Sensitivity Index Map: This type of map demonstrates 3 different types of information. First is the shoreline classification, then biological resources and finally human-use resources. The specific map I chose demonstrates biological resources which deals with oil spills and their effect on animals, habitats as well as plants.

5. Isopleth Map: This map simplifies data with a continuous distribution. It uses different shades of color to show regions where some quality is the same.