No.
227 December 2001 SNOWFLAKES
In 1988, A Look at Weather, Activities for the Primary Student (NAS 1.2:
W37/2) told us that in the 16th century Johannes Kepler noticed snowflake
patterns, and the philosopher Rene Descartes wrote the first publication on the
variety of patterns found in snow crystals. Have you examined snowflakes?
What can you see with the naked eye?, with a magnifying glass?
Some frequently seen snowflakes are called Dendrites, they are ice
crystals with a branching treelike shape. Snowflakes
are actually made up of from two to several hundred snow crystals. At their
Agricultural Research Service Laboratory, current snowflake researchers William
Wergin and Eric Erbe catch snowflakes, freeze them, coat them in metal, and
enlarge them 40,000 times with a scanning electron microscope. They photograph
the flakes with electron beams and study the electronic pictures (http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/environment/story2/snowflakeframes.htm).
Their study of the structures of snowflakes has shown them that there are
no two snowflakes alike. There are
snowflakes at “Snowflake and Crystal Sites” http://nsidc.org/snow/crystals.html
and at the USDA Plant Science Institute’s “Electron Microscopy Unit Snow
Page” at http://www.lpsi.barc.usda.gov/emusnow
there are two pictures of snowflakes. This
USDA snow page also has a link to “Martian Ice Crystals”, which is really
(titled) “Structure of Carbon Dioxide Crystals (Martian Frost)… sound
interesting?? SNOW PREDICTION AND SNOW SHOVELS
In December, 1995, the National Climatic Data Center issued TR 95-03, Will
We Have a White Christmas? This
(10 page) online report predicted the percent probabilities of at least 1 inch,
5 inches, and 10 inches of snow on Christmas day for selected weather stations
(cities) in each of the States. http://nndc.noaa.gov/?http://ols.nndc.noaa.gov/plolstore/plsql/olstore.prodspecific?prodnum=C00493-PUB-A0001
This report of the probabilities of snow appearing on Christmas morning
is helpful for current Americans anticipating a White Christmas and the need for a
snow shovel. This report would have been helpful to our ancestors who
experienced lots of snow and, at one point, lacked snow shovels. Officially, the National Weather Service defines a blizzard
as large amounts of falling OR blowing snow with winds in excess of 35 mph and
visibility of less than 1/4 of a mile for an extended period of time (greater
than 3 hours). German settlers in Iowa originally coined the word blizzard,
coming from the word blitzartig,
meaning "lightning-like." “However,
the American colonists had no warning about snow nor did they have snow shovels.
"European pioneers and settlers were astounded by the severity of the
winters in the New World. Although accustomed to snow in their homelands, they
were newly confronted with driving winds and freezing temperatures
characteristic of [America's] Snow belt regions.”
The colonists and George Washington’s army were, at times, snowbound.
The “Blizzard of 88” from March 11–15, 1888 was one of America’s worst
snow disasters. It resulted in over 400 deaths, because America’s 19th
century cities were unprepared for large amounts of snow.
National Snow and Ice Data Center has compiled Have Snow Shovel, Will
Travel (http://nsidc.org/snow/shovel.html).
This 11-page snow history is full of details about the major snow falls since
colonial times, how the snow challenged the unprepared people and cities, and
the resulting social and technological changes in America’s cities and
lifestyles. For example, 1862 saw the first horse-drawn snowplow, 1913 was the
date of the first motorized plow, and it was not until the 1820s that
snow-related weather information was organized at the national level. Another
lesser-known side of American history. LEARNING
ABOUT AIR PUMPS For those who are old enough to remember, when one purchased
gasoline at the gas station, only the service attendant was allowed to pump
gasoline. With the incentive of cheaper gas, since there is no attendant to pay,
everyone has learned to use the gas pumps and now most gas stations don’t have
station attendants around to help you fill your gas tank. With the new tire
pressure warning devices not in cars until 2003, the automobile driver will have
some time to learn about the Air Pumps found at gas stations. Some
do-it-yourself mechanics know about air compressors, air pumps, and air gauges.
How many drivers own an air pump and a pressure-measuring gauge? Hand air
pumps are hard to use on car tires but pressure-measuring gauges are cheap and
are easy to learn to use. Yet some gas station air pumps include gauges. To
learn about air pumps in America, the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration hired Joseph Stevano to research and write Air Pumps at U.S.
Gas Stations: Major Findings Regarding
Availability, Reliability, and Fees. This 8-page report was published in
November 2001 and is found as a PDF file at
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/RNotes/2001/809-366AirPumps.pdf.
It seems that 94 percent of America’s gas stations have air pumps, 86
percent are reliable, and 43 percent of the gas stations require a fee for using
their air pump and gauge. 49 percent of the stations with an air pump provide an
air pressure gauge, which will likely over-report tire pressures (i.e. give
readings which exceed the actual pressure).
The author completes his very clear, thorough, and detailed analysis of
his air pump study with a 10-point conclusion about air pumps. His concluding
note advises that motorists bring and use their own [air pressure] gauge to
achieve accurate tire pressures. Next is the purchase and learning how to use an
air gauge. THE
CRASH TEST DUMMY FAMILY PORTRAIT AND PROFILES If you read the September 2001
issue (http://www.nku.edu/~yannarella/news0109.html)
of this Newsletter your learned about Larry and Vince the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Crash Test Dummies featured in the NHTSA
Car Crash Testing Program web page. In the same Newsletter, there was the NHTSA
Birth Announcement about the NHTSA 12 Month Old Crash Test Dummy Baby, a child
born into the NHTSA New Car Crash Test Program Anthropomorphic Family of Test
Devices. The NHTSA Vehicle Research & Test Center, Pedestrian and Applied
Biomechanics Division has a “Family Portrait” on its web page (http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/vrtc/bio/vrtc_bio.htm).
A “click” on “Crash Test Dummies, Frontal”, link will lead to individual
portraits and specifications for each family member. There is the CRABI 12 month
old, the HYBRID III 3 year old, the HYBRID III 6 year old, the HYBRID III 5th
Percentile Female (i.e. Mother), the HYBRID III 50th Percentile Male
(i.e. Father), and the HYBRID III 95th Percentile individual who is
under development. A “click” on each of the Dummies’ portraits will lead to a detailed
discussion of their weights, features, dimensions, etc. One detail left for
another time, is a genealogical explanation of the relationship between Vince
and Larry and the five individuals in this NHTSA Family Portrait.
TRACTING
PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIGHORBOOD: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Who are the people in your
neighborhood? Mister Rogers brought
to television the question usually asked by urban researchers. People who plan
for schools, churches, or a new small business want to learn about the social
and/or economic characteristic(s) of the people in their neighborhood. One of
the few sources for answers to these questions is Census Tract Data.
When the 2000 Census Tract data is released, it will provide the latest
data about your neighborhood Tract area(s). However, for researchers with
history questions about their neighborhood, the Census Tract sources first
appeared in the 1940 Census. They include: (1940): Sixteenth Census of the United
States: 1940, Census of Population and Housing: Statistics for Census Tracts:
(City, State) and adjacent area. 58 reports for 60 cities issued 1941-1942,
(C 3.940-38:(Ct.). (1950): United States Census of Population: 1950, Census
Tracts Statistics: Selected Population and Housing Characteristics: (City,
State), and adjacent area. 64 reports issued 1951-1953, (C 3.950-7/2
:(Ct)/(Ct). (1960): U.S.
Census of Population and Housing: 1960, Census Tracts: Final Reports (City,
State), Series PHC(1), 180 Reports, issued
1962, (C 3.223/11:960/(No.). (1970): 1970 Census of Population and
Housing, Census Tracts, (City, State) Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area,
Series PHC(1)-(No.) 241
Reports, issued 1971-1972 (C
3.223/11:970/(No.). (1980): 1980 Census of Population and Housing. Census
Tracts, (City and State) Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area. Series
PHC80-2-(No.), 372 Reports issued 1983 (C 3.223/11:980/(No.). (1990): [1] 1990 Census of Population and Housing.
Population and Housing Characteristics for Census Tracts and Block Numbering
Areas (State) (Outside Metropolitan Areas) Reports Nos. 1-55 and [2] 1990
Census of Population and Housing, Population and Housing Characteristics for
Census Tracts and Block Numbering Areas (City,
State) MSA, Reports Nos. 58-346, Series 1990 CPH-3-(No.) 346 Reports, issued
1993 (C 3.223/11:1990CPH-3-(No.)).
(2000): The 2000 Census of Population and Housing Tract, SF3 Data
SHOULD be on the Census Bureau web site in Summer 2002.
P.S. Don’t forget the accompanying Maps!! Census Tract Data is geared to Census Bureau and Local
Committee designated tract boundary lines which
are not found elsewhere. PEOPLE
ON YOUR BLOCK: HISTORICAL
PERSPECTIVE Mister Rogers emphasized the neighborhood, but the people on your
Block are usually the first neighbors you get to know.
Current information about the people on your Block(s) will be found in
the 2000 Census. For historical questions, the Census Block Data first appeared
in 1940 and was limited to SMSA (or MSA) areas through 1980, and then, as of
1990 covered the entire nation. Historically,
the Census Sources are (1940): Sixteenth
Census, the Population: 1940, Census of Housing, Supplement to First Series,
Housing Bulletin for (State, City) Block Statistics. 195 pamphlets, issued
1942 (C 3.940-31: (Ct)/(Ct). (1950): United States Census of Housing: 1950, Block
Statistics (City, State), blocks, census tracts, wards, Series H-E, 213
Reports, issued 1951-1952, (C 3.950-8:(Ct)/(Ct)). (1960): U.S. Census of Housing: 1960, City Blocks (City,
State). Series HC(3)-(No.), 421
Reports issued 1961-1962, (C 3.224/5:960/(No.)). (1970): 1970 Census of Housing: Block Statistics, (City)
Urbanized Area, Series HC(3)-(No.) 278 Reports issued 1972, (C
3.224/5:970/(No.)). (1980): 1980 Census of Population and Housing: Block
Statistics. Series PHC-80-1-(No.), 372 Reports issued 1982, (C
3.224/5:980/(No.). (1990): In the
1990, the Census Bureau created and issued block data for the every block in the
United States and the data was issued on ten CD-ROMS. 1990 Census of Population and Housing, Block Statistics
10 CD-ROMS (C 3.282/3:CD/90-1
B-(No.)) (2000): Currently, the
2000 Census Block Statistics SF3 Data will be available in Summer 2002 on the
Census Bureau web site http://www.census.gov.
Don't forget the Block Maps for each series!! SNOW
GALLERY PICTURES It's wintertime, time when the snow falls, and falls, and
falls, and blows (as in blizzards), drifts and piles-up into seven feet of snow
as in Buffalo New York on December 24-28, 2001. Seven feet of snow in five days makes for a memorable
Christmas. What a picture of
Buffalo if you could see it! There
have been some snow accumulations that have occurred in American history whose
pictures you can see. There was the
Great Blizzard of March 12-18, 1888 that provided lots of snow and pictures of
New York City and Flushing, New York. During
the winter of 1916-1917, Paradise Inn on Mount Rainier, Washington had 789.5
inches of snow and in a photo taken in March 1917, the snow was 27 feet deep.
There is a photo of a man standing near the top of an electrical utility
pole in North Dakota March 9, 1966. He was standing on top of the snow that had
nearly buried the utility pole. After a 1917 snowstorm in Sierra Nevada at Blue
Canyon, and Emmigrant Gap, California, there are pictures of cleared train
tracks that were under about 12 feet deep of snow. Maybe it is easier to relate
to the 1967 Blizzard in Chicago, the 1971 ice storm in Rhode Island, or the 1993
Blizzard in Bull Shoals, Arkansas. All
these, and more, pictures are found in the “Snow Gallery” at
http://nsidc.org/snow/gallery/index.html.
Back
to Philip’s page February
27, 2002 http://www.nku.edu/~yannarella/news0112.html