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 On August 21, Illinois State Water Survey researchers will use
weather-monitoring stations and equipment in southern Illinois
to capture subtle atmospheric changes before, during, and after
the eclipse. Carbondale is the best location in Illinois to
witness the longest duration of the total solar eclipse, which
is expected to last 2 minutes, 37 seconds.
Four of the 19 stations of the Illinois Climate Network (ICN)
are within the path of totality, or the location where a full
solar eclipse can be seen. All stations will collect data at
both 10-second and 5-minute intervals on air temperature,
relative humidity, solar radiation, barometric pressure, and
wind speed. Collected data across the state can be used for
comparison, according to Jennie Atkins, program manager of the
Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) program, which
includes the ICN. WARM is unique in the state in that it
provides long-term records of weather and soil data from
stations across Illinois.
“At the stations in the path, we expect to see declines in solar
radiation and air temperatures within a certain period of time
during the event,” Atkins said.
Atkins plans to analyze weather conditions from the data
collected from about 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day. Researchers at
other universities and organizations across the Midwest can
collaborate on projects to understand how the eclipse changes
weather conditions in Illinois and beyond.
So long as the weather is clear in southern Illinois, the ICN
stations will be set to record this unique event. The last total
solar eclipse that could be seen in the U.S. was in 1979,
according to NASA.
“We have this rare opportunity and we don’t want to miss it,”
Atkins said.
ICN will live-stream updated weather data every 5 minutes at
http://www.isws. illinois.edu/warm/eclipse. The WARM
website provides up-to-date water and atmospheric information in
Illinois:
http://www.isws.illinois.edu/warm/.
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David Kristovich, head of the Water Survey’s Climate
and Atmospheric Science section is also anticipating the big event.
Like Atkins, he considers the solar eclipse a chance to advance
studies of atmospheric conditions. His research relating to
atmospheric reactions to rapid changes in heating and cooling at the
earth’s surface could be used to improve the mathematical models
used to predict the weather.
“We have studied slow changes in the atmosphere, such
as when cooler conditions at night shift to warmer conditions during
the day, but we have much less information on how the atmosphere
responds to quick changes,” Kristovich said. “By collecting data
during the solar eclipse, we can better understand these responses.”
Kristovich and his research team will be taking measurements at the
Dixon Springs Agricultural Center from 12 hours prior to the eclipse
to several hours afterward using Doppler LIDAR equipment to view the
motions of microscopic dust particles, or aerosols, in updrafts and
downdrafts in an occasionally turbulent atmosphere. The scientists
will also launch a weather balloon carrying equipment that measures
temperature, humidity, and changing winds in real time.
If the weather is cloudy that day, monitoring can still occur, but
rain droplets block the smaller particles from sight. Rainy weather
will shut them down, Kristovich said. However, researchers from
other parts of the U.S. in the path of totality will be taking
measurements that can be shared to further our understanding of the
atmosphere.
[Lisa A. Sheppard]
The Illinois State Water Survey is one
of five state surveys that make up the University of Illinois’
Prairie Research Institute (PRI). PRI provides objective expertise,
data, and applied research to aid decision making and provide
solutions for government, industry, and the people of Illinois.
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