Overview
For this activity, choose from ONE of the three following airports, for which you will analyze and interpret wind rose data. Each location is hyperlinked to a Google Maps™ mapping service satellite image of the airport (NOTE: all images are oriented with North at the top):
- Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Honolulu, Hawaii (Links to an external site.)
- Fresno-Yosemite International Airport, Fresno, California (Links to an external site.)
- San Diego International Airport, San Diego, California (Links to an external site.)
Now, complete parts A, B, and C within a separate document. Put your name and the airport location you chose at the top of the document.
PART A)
Go to the appropriate web page of wind rose climatology for your chosen airport location (provided by Iowa Environmental Mesonet):
Honolulu International Airport (Links to an external site.)
Fresno-Yosemite International Airport (Links to an external site.)
San Diego International Airport (Links to an external site.)
The Yearly Climatology wind rose is at the top of the page, and shows the annual average wind information.
Scroll down the page to the Monthly Climatology section. Select a wind rose for ANY month of the year. Capture and insert the image of the wind rose selected into your document.
Next, analyze and interpret the wind rose image you captured to determine the following information for your airport's location during this month of the year:
- The average wind speed.
- The most probable (predominant) direction FROM which the wind blows, and the percentage of time it blows from this direction.
- The most likely range of the wind's speed when it is blowing from the predominant direction.
- The least likely range of wind's speed when it is blowing from the predominant direction.
- The least probable direction FROM which the wind blows, and the percentage of time it blows from this direction.
Please proceed to the Part B section.
PART B)
Go back to the wind rose climatology web page for your chosen airport location (from part A).
Analyze the Yearly Climatology wind rose and Monthly Climatology wind roses for ALL months of the year, along with satellite imagery of the airport, to answer the following questions. Support each of your answers with evidence from the wind roses, airport imagery, and/or other sources of information as needed.
- Is the runway orientation at this location optimal for flight operations for most of the year?
- In which month is the probability for an aircraft to experience crosswinds upon takeoff or landing greatest?
Please proceed to the Part C section.
PART C)
On the satellite imagery web page for the airport, zoom out and inspect the area surrounding the airport to identify terrain, bodies of water, or other key local features. Explain how these features are likely influencing the prevailing winds at the airport. Support your answer by synthesizing and applying concepts explored in Module 6 regarding regional and global winds.