We all know that weather can change on a daily basis, especially in middle to high latitudes (like the UK) where it is controlled by contrasting weather systems. One of the most familiar weather systems to cross the UK is the depression. Depressions are areas of low atmospheric pressure which produce cloudy, rainy and windy weather. These lowpressure, cyclonic systems usually begin life in the Atlantic, moving eastwards towards the UK. They are responsible for the UK’s characteristically changeable weather (we experience around 150 depressions a year).
From a fieldwork point of view, a ‘classic’ depression has a characteristic set of conditions associated with it and these change over time (or with the ‘passage’ of the depression). As an observer, you can measure and monitor changes in the atmosphere, including cloud cover, temperature, precipitation and pressure. The equipment needed is straightforward and low cost, and a study like this can generate a good volume of data that you can easily test against the expected change in weather conditions.
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