A World of Weather: Chapter 3 Introduction
CHAPTER 3
TEMPERATURE
During the televising of summer sporting events, the
sportscasters in the broadcast booth often request a report from
the playing field about temperature conditions at ground level.
Typically, in response, a reporter stationed on the field holds a
thermometer an inch above the playing surface as a videographer
zooms in, revealing an extraordinarily high temperature, often
120oF (49oC) or above. The temperature
displays on bank signs (and
perhaps on your own outdoor thermometer at home) often register
similarly high temperatures during the summer as well.
The journey towards understanding these implausible
temperature readings begins with the foundations of radiation laid
in Chapter 2, and requires a familiarity with how temperature is
measured. So we begin with the most familiar of weather
instruments, the thermometer.