What's Up With the Weather?
|  |
Student Handout |
Temperature Trends Part I
Not much ice skating last year? Really hot this summer? Everyone's talking about the weather, yet not everyone seems to agree that real climate change is under way. How can something as simple as daily temperatures be so hard to interpret? Try your hand at analyzing some temperature readings and see if you can spot any trends.
Part 1
Procedure
Look at the Monthly Average Temperatures for Boston, Massachusetts, during the last 10 years (see below). Can you spot any long-term temperature changes by scanning the rows? These data will make more sense as a graph. When your teacher tells you which year your group will graph, highlight it in yellow. Using the Temperature Graph, do the following:
From the information given in the table, plot your 12 monthly average temperatures starting with January on the left edge of your graph. Move right three lines to plot the next month, February. When you have plotted all 12 months, connect the dots in pencil, and check your work. Lay your graph beside the graphs for the years before and after yours. Make sure the Boston 10-year average line on each graph matches up. Darken your pencil line with a blue marker. When the whole class is finished, temporarily tape all the graphs together to create a visual 10-year record.
What, if any, trends do you see regarding long-term change? As a scientist, what would be your next step?
Monthly Average Temperatures (°F)
Boston, Massachusetts*
| |
JAN |
FEB |
MAR |
APR |
MAY |
JUN |
JUL |
AUG |
SEP |
OCT |
NOV |
DEC |
 |
1989 |
34.5 |
30.5 |
37.3 |
45.9 |
59.4 |
67.8 |
72.8 |
71.6 |
64.7 |
55.3 |
42.8 |
21.7 |
|
1990 |
36.4 |
34.1 |
40.1 |
47.6 |
54.9 |
66.6 |
73.1 |
73.3 |
64.6 |
58.3 |
48.5 |
40.7 |
|
1991 |
29.4 |
36.1 |
41.6 |
51.3 |
63.3 |
70.0 |
74.6 |
73.8 |
63.7 |
56.4 |
45.2 |
36.0 |
|
1992 |
31.0 |
32.4 |
35.4 |
46.4 |
55.6 |
67.8 |
69.5 |
70.4 |
63.9 |
52.5 |
42.9 |
34.8 |
|
1993 |
32.4 |
27.1 |
36.4 |
48.3 |
60.3 |
69.5 |
74.7 |
73.6 |
64.8 |
52.3 |
45.6 |
34.2 |
|
1994 |
22.2 |
26.9 |
38.2 |
51.4 |
58.4 |
71.9 |
77.5 |
72.4 |
64.2 |
55.5 |
49.0 |
38.5 |
|
1995 |
34.6 |
28.5 |
38.8 |
46.1 |
57.2 |
68.6 |
75.9 |
72.8 |
63.1 |
58.4 |
41.9 |
31.7 |
|
1996 |
30.1 |
30.9 |
36.5 |
47.9 |
57.4 |
68.1 |
71.9 |
70.9 |
64.2 |
53.2 |
40.3 |
39.3 |
|
1997 |
29.2 |
36.0 |
36.7 |
46.3 |
56.1 |
68.2 |
73.7 |
71.2 |
64.2 |
52.8 |
41.7 |
35.2 |
|
1998 |
33.9 |
35.3 |
41.5 |
49.4 |
60.3 |
64.7 |
74.4 |
72.5 |
66.3 |
54.5 |
44.6 |
39.1 |
* Source: NOAA National Data Center
|
