Landscapes and Landforms

We use a glass thermometer to measure air temperature:

• hold the thermometer about 1m above ground and away from your body

• wait for a minute or two

• read the measurement off the scale.

We use a digital anemometer to measure wind speed:

• hold the meter up high into the wind so that the wind blows the fan for one minute

• record the maximum wind speed from over the minute.

Humidity measures the amount of moisture in the air, as a percentage. We use a digital hygrometer to measure humidity:

• set the meter on the ground

• leave it still for a few minutes

• read the percent humidity.

Aspect is the direction that an environment faces:

• rotate so that so that you are looking downhill from the study site (hint: face the direction a ball or dropped Maltesers would roll)

• hold a compass level (horizontal) in your hand

• read and record the direction you are facing, e.g. north or southwest.

Slope measures the steepness of the environment. We use a clinometer to measure slope. It measures angles similar to a protractor. As the environment is usually uneven, we take an average slope:

• send a classmate that is a similar height to the other end of the environment

• hold the clinometer steady and aim from your eye level to their eye level

• press the trigger - the pointer is free to swing and will point down due to gravity

• once the pointer stops swinging, release the trigger to lock it in place

• read the angle off the scale.

Soil feels gritty.

Soil cannot form a ball, therefore sandy.

Soil feels wet.

The main vegetation type around Wattamolla is heath.

This blackened plant is evidence of recent bushfire in January 2018.

The Bureau of Meteorology is the Australian Government's official weather forecaster. They built an automatic weather station near Providential Headland on the top of a cliff. It measures wind direction and wind speed every 30 minutes. It takes extra measurements when there is a strong gust or change (of direction). All of the data is recorded on the Bureau's website.