What You Will Do on Day 1

This field trip will spend the afternoon at the Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory.  Arrival time will approximate lunch time, so we will begin by eating lunch on the observatory grounds.  After lunch, we will begin with a tour of the facility, and then participate in gathering weather measurements and launching a tagged baloon.

The purpose of this trip is to become familiar with the basics of collecting weather measurements and to gain enough familiarity and comfort using forecast tools (available from the Blue Hill Observatory, National Weather Service - Boston Office, and several other sources available on-line) to be able to anticipate daily weather conditions.

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IMAGE 2 - Blue Hill Building
From: Blue Hill Observatory Website

IMAGE 3 (right) is a view of the Observatory with the city of Boston in the background.  The Observatory is located at the summit of Great Blue Hill (635' AMSL), an ancient volcanic formation in the center of The Blue Hills Reservation.  Great Blue Hill is the highest of the 22 hills making up the 7,000 acre Blue Hills chain and is an ideal location for lunch.

IMAGE 2 (left) shows the Observatory's massive stone structure and the tower housing the instrumentation and forecast center.

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IMAGE 3 - BHO Overlooking Boston
From: Blue Hill Observatory Website

History Room - Tower First Floor

In 1989, the Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory was declared a National Historic Landmark.  The observatory continued to maintain a meticulous record of climate study during restoration and modernization of the Observatory funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Metropolitan District Commission (now the Department of Conservation and Recreation).  The BHO's mission has expanded to include a focus on increasing public understanding of, and appreciation for, atmospheric science.

IMAGE 4, 5, & 6 (left) show portions of the first floor of the Observatory tower - the history center - containing information and instrumentation dating back to 1885, the start of uninterrupted observations from this location

1894 marked the start of meteorological soundings when kites were used to lift instruments into the atmosphere.  Over the next few years, soundings continued to improve and additional data, including pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind speed, were recorded to a maximum height of 15,000' AMSL in 1900.  Kites were kept aloft for extended periods of time in all conditions.  The Observatory was also the site of the first radiosondes sent aloft using balloons.

The Observatory was bequeathed to Harvard College in 1912, and was then turned over to the Commonwealth in 1971.  During that ~60 year period, the BHO provided instrumentation and training to help establish the Mt. Washington Observatory in New Hampshire, worked with the US Air Force to study clouds and precipitation, hosted early weather radar equipment, and for a time was host to the US Weather Bureau.

Fortunately, especially in light of global warming concerns, the anticipated closing of the Observatory by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was thwarted by the the Blue Hill Observatory Weather Club's efforts to preserve and maintian the site.  Today, the Blue Hill Observatory is a non-profit organization supported by membership dues, donations, grants, books sales, and endowment gifts.

Please visit the BHO History Page for an excerpt from: Highlights of the History of the Blue Hill Observatory and the Early Days of the American Meteorological Society, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Volume 66 Number 1 January 1985 by John H. Conover.

Additionally, the BHO has a fine collection of images of the observatory, as well as a virtual tour, available from the BHO Home Page, and a nice Cloud Photo Gallery organized by category (e.g., Mid-level clouds).

The Observatory's collection of barometric instruments are shown in IMAGE 9 (right).

The enclosure houses the mercury-based instruments.  The first three barometers (left to right) were imported from London, England in the late 1800s, with the second from the left having been in continuous daily use at the Observatory since 1887.  A barograph, an instrument that continuously records barometric pressure on cart paper, is in its own enclosure to the left of the mercury barometers.

An assortment of digital instruments (barometer, precipitation, and thermometer) can be seen just beneath the microbarograph.

IMAGE 12 (right) shows the Skew-T Plot for June 29, 2006, from Chatham MA.  The current Skew-T Plot, as well as a detailed description of the plot itself, will be used in our daily forecasts, as well as the previously introduced forecast products from the NWS Boston Office.

IMAGE 13 (below) shows the Surface Station Plot for June 29, 2006, for New England.  The current Surface Station Plot for New England, as well as a detailed description of the plot itself, will be also used in our daily forecasts.

IMAGE 14 (below right) shows Boston's Meteogram for June 29, 2006. Like the plots previosuly introduced, the current meteogram for Boston, as well as for area stations (e.g., Albany) will be used in our daily forcasts, as well as the detailed description of the plot itself.  Using these resources, as well as previosuly referenced tools, will give insight into the forecasting process.

[Click Image to Enlarge] IMAGE 13, Surface Station Plot,
From: Unisys Weather Website