Lab 1
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Oregon State University, Corvallis *
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Course
201
Subject
Geography
Date
Apr 3, 2024
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docx
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4
Uploaded by loganrenee11
Lab 1
1.
[4 pts, 0.5 pt per part] Click on the “Data Information” tab and explore the list of cities. Choose a
city to analyze that has data beginning no later than 1950, though the earlier the better. Avoid the cities highlighted in blue. [Do not choose Portland, OR please]. Click on the station ID of your
city (3rd column) and record the information below:
Chosen City: Salisbury, MD
Full Station Name: US Salisbury Wicomico Regional Airport, MD US
Latitude: 38.34083°
Longitude: -75.51325°
Elevation: 14.3 m
Start Date: 1948-07-20
End Date: 2020-12-28
Data Coverage: 100%
2.
[9 pts, 1 pt per part] Record the average (in °F) and most recent 40 years trend (in °F/decade) values for the following parameters for your city. Also record the year with the highest rank (this
is the highest number (not #1), which is the most “extreme” year). [Remember to click “plot” each time to update.] Be sure to include the correct units for all answers here, and for all future questions.
a. Maximum Temperature (Annual time scale) average: 65.3°F
b. Maximum Temperature (Annual time scale) trend: +0.6°F/Decade
c. Maximum Temperature (Annual time scale) year with the highest # rank: 2020 with 69.1°F
d. Minimum Temperature (Annual time scale) average: 45.8°F
e. Minimum Temperature (Annual time scale) trend: +0.5°F/Decade
f. Minimum Temperature (Annual time scale) year with the highest # rank: 2019 with 48.4°F
g. Precipitation (Annual time scale) average: 45.28in.
h. Precipitation (Annual time scale) trend: -.17in./Decade
i. Precipitation (Annual time scale) year with the highest # rank: 1979 with 69.64in.
3.
[5 pts, 1 pt per part] Now return to the maximum temperature parameter. Using the start and end options for “Display trend”, record the trend calculated for different year ranges.
- Note that your city may not have data going back to 1895, or other earlier years, so just record the trend for your city’s whole record, making a note of the actual available years, and then whichever of the listed trends are available.
- The “end year” should be set to the most recent full year. So, if today’s date is March 14, 2020, the most recent full year is 2019. If today’s date is September 30, 2020, the most recent full year
is still 2019. If your city stopped recording on June 14, 2018, then the most recent full year is 2017. Be sure to indicate the years used for each trend:
Beginning to end of the record: +0.4°F/Decade (1949-2020)
The last 100 years: +0.4°F/Decade (1949-2020) Data didn’t go back 100 years
80 years +0.4°F/Decade (1949-2020) Data didn’t go back 80 years
60 years: +0.6°F/Decade (1960-2020)
40 years: +0.6°F/Decade (1980-2020)
20 years: +1.0°F/Decade (2000-2020)
4.
[3 pts] Write a short paragraph (2-4 sentences) describing how the trends change as you focus on the shorter, more recent time periods.
As I looked at the trend changes on a more focused scale, the trend degree was gradually going up. From beginning to end of the record we started with a low increase of 0.4°F/Decade. The last 20 years, 2000-2020 had an increase of 1.0°F/Decade. Overall, the trend changes increased as we focused more towards shorter periods of time. 5.
[9 pts, 1 pt per part] Now switch to the “1-month” timescale. Select "July" as your month, since that is usually the hottest month of the year. If you would like to look at another month as well, you can do so in question 7. Plot and record the average, trend, and year with the highest rank for the maximum temp, minimum temp, and precipitation data:
Maximum Temperature (1-month) average: 85.9°F
Maximum Temperature (1-month) trend: +0.4°F/Decade
Maximum Temperature (1-month) year with the highest # rank: 2010 with 91.1°F
Minimum Temperature (1-month) average: 67.0°F
Minimum Temperature (1-month) trend: +0.3°F/Decade
Minimum Temperature (1-month) year with the highest # rank: 2020 with 71.7°F
Precipitation (1-month) average: 4.48in.
Precipitation (1-month) trend: +.10 in./Decade
Precipitation (1-month) year with the highest # rank: 2017 with 11.31in.
6.
[4 pts] Compare the annual (question 2) and 1-month (question 5) values. Which average is larger? Which trend is larger? Are the highest rank years the same? Try to explain any differences. (Getting the correct explanation here is not important; I’m more interested in your thought process.) Answer should be 3-5 sentences.
The averages were larger for Maximum Temperature and Minimum Temperature for the 1-
month trend, but the average for Precipitation was larger for the annual trend. The trends appear to be larger for Maximum Temperature and Minimum Temperature for the annual year, but larger for Precipitation for the 1-month trend. The only rank years that were the same were the Maximum Temperature for the annual trend with 2020 and the Minimum Temperature for the 1-month trend with 2020. The years were the same, however, the categories were different.
I think that the temperature averages are larger for the 1-month trend because the values are from July, which is one of the hottest months and not the year as a whole. 7.
[4 pts] Now, pick any parameter/time scale/climate division/city combination you want. You can
stick with the same city and use one of the variables you’ve already studied or take a look at some other data. [Take note of the warnings at the top of the menu for combos that are not available.] Plot the data. Play around with the trend data range until you get a line that is
representative of the data (it may be that the trend is effectively zero, depending on your parameter/location). Your trend should include at least 30 years to obtain an accurate representation.
I chose this specific trend data range because I have noticed each year that December isn’t as cold as it was when I was younger. 2005 isn’t the coldest by far, but it is probably as far back as I can clearly remember a cold December. Each year following that has fluctuated with it’s temperature ranges. Some years are colder, but most of them are significantly warmer. The highest year from the plot is 2015 and it is significantly warmer than the rest of the data. 8.
[4 pts] Do your observations support the conclusion that the climate is warming? Why or why not? Answer should be 4-6 complete sentences.
My observations do support the conclusion that the climate is warming. The average minimum temperature for the month of December from 1948-2020 is 29.7°F. While some data points lie around the mean, there are numerous points that lie way above the mean, and even some way below the mean. While there are colder December’s on the plot, there seems to be more December’s that have means that are higher than the mean. The one outlier, 2015 with 42.3°F, because it is roughly 13°F higher than the mean.
9.
[4 pts] What is the difference between weather and climate? Why are we able to predict climate
for a long time (e.g., for the next century), while we can only predict weather for a couple weeks
(if that)? Answer in your own words, 4-6 sentences.
Weather is the conditions over a short period of time while climate is an observed pattern over a long period of time. We are able to predict climate for a long time because we are already observing the pattern of the climate. Weather can change abruptly and become unpredictable, even if it was predicted
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to go a different way. While weather can change at the drop of a pin, climate is what we have observed for years and it is a pattern that will continue. 10.
[4 pts] Repeat question 7 for the same parameter/time scale/climate division but with a different city. Save the new plot, include the image below, and explain your justification for settling on the trend data range for this new city. (This image also will be included in the Week 1/2 Discussion, so remember where you save it!)
I chose Wilmington, DE because it is only about two hours north of Salisbury, MD and I am familiar with both of them. I live about 15 minutes outside of Salisbury and frequent the Wilmington area around the Christmas season to visit their shopping malls each year. While Delaware is more north of Salisbury, it seems to be experiencing a similar warming trend. It appears that half, if not more than half, of the data recorded is above the mean just as Salisbury’s was. I expected the two plots to look fairly similar as the two cities are rather close to each other.