MARS 1500 – Investigating El Nino Activity – 10 points

.pdf

School

Hawaii Pacific University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

1500

Subject

Geography

Date

Feb 20, 2024

Type

pdf

Pages

3

Uploaded by JusticeStarWhale43 on coursehero.com

MARS 1500 – Investigating El Nino Activity – 10 points Go to: https://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=7a6ff2dc781041bcad7f790a71 9a42dd Discuss the following questions with your classmates. Each student MUST submit their answers during class time to get full credit. You MUST have permission from the instructor to make up this assignment. Level 1: 1) What do lines of latitude indicate? Lines of latitude indicate degrees north and south of the equator. 2) According to the map, the average monthly sea surface temperature at 5° North and 140° West is approximately ___26____°C 3) Why is it important for researchers to look at data for more than one year to determine sea surface temperature change? This is because from year to year, temperature patterns may be quite different, and a lot of data is needed to analyze trends. Level 2: 1) What were the monthly average sea surface temperatures (SST) in degrees Celsius along 0° latitude (the equator) at these locations? Longitude 140° E 180° 140° W 100° W SST 28.7 30.1 27.5 23.7 2) What was the SST at these locations in December 2010? Use both the map and graph to help you. Longitude 140° E 180° 140° W 100° W SST 30.1 27 24.4 21 3) What is one advantage of using a map over a line graph? A map can help to explain data patterns over large areas. 4) Go to the “Get Data” tab to create a SST map for the Northern Pacific Ocean. a. Under “Select a Region” create a boundary box to span the North Pacific and include the Hawaiian Islands. b. Under “Which timespan?” click on “monthly” and then "Specify a date” from 2022 or 2023. c. Scroll down and click “download image.”
d. Once you have your map of SST for that month, repeat the process and choose a different month in 2022 or 2023. I would suggest choosing a winter month and a summer month when the SST might vary the most. Do NOT change your boundary box! Please note that it might take a while to download the images. You might want to have another person in your group have the activity open so you can start on Level 3 while you’re waiting. e. What months did you choose? Compare the images and record any observations. June 2022 December 2022 The images in the two months look similar. Level 3: 1) Compare the graphs of a “normal” year vs an El Nino year. What is the difference? An El Niño year has warmer temperatures. 2) To determine if an El Niño event occurred during the winter of 2015-2016, decide what specific TEMPERATURE data you will need to answer the question. Will you need data from more than one month or year? Which months/years? You would need data from more than one year, like 2014-2015 or 2016-2017, so that you can compare the data. Although the program gives you the option to create both maps and graphs, ONLY use SST MAPS to answer the question. You will select “download image” and NOT the data file. 3) Interpret the data: What does your data show? Record your observations below. Be specific and descriptive. The data indicates that during the winter in 2015 (December), the water temperature was higher than usual. 4) Draw a Conclusion: Did an El Niño event occur during the winter of 2015-2016? Yes Level 4: 1) The narrow green region along the coast of California indicates: high levels of nutrients and phytoplankton Research Project: Exploring El Niño and Chlorophyll Data Hypothesis : During an El Niño event, when sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean increase, the amount of phytoplankton, as measured using chlorophyll-a, increases. Compare the DATA maps and graphs for 2009 and 2010. 2) Which year shows warmer sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific (near the equator)?
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
  • Access to all documents
  • Unlimited textbook solutions
  • 24/7 expert homework help