Port Angeles Climate Investigation

We have Port Angeles daily weather data (temperature and rainfall) from 1938 through the present.

In this assignment you will work through the scientific inquiry steps to learn about the climate of Port Angeles over the past ~80 years.

Click here for a simple version of the assignment (paper copies in classroom - this version does not require a computer).

Read on for a slightly more challenging version of the assignment in which you come up with your own question, get to contribute new scientific information to our community, and create a new branch on the tree of science.

View sample finished products here.

Question

Come up with a question that you can answer using the Port Angeles Weather Data 1938-Present. Great climate questions should be about change over time or general weather patterns.

Write your question in your journal.

Hypothesis

Write your hypothesis for your question in your journal.

Materials

• Port Angeles Daily Weather Data 1938-Present

• Computer with Microsoft Excel

• Journal

• Pencil

Procedure

1. Download the weather data, add your name to the beginning of the file name, and save it into the share folder (Lieberman)/Weather/PA Weather Data

2. Open the weather data file with Microsoft Excel and click the tab at the bottom for the data set you want (Raw Data, By Year, By Month, or By Year and Month).

3. Sort the data: click the upper-left most box to select all cells, click "Data" from the top menu bar, click "Sort," select "My data has headers," and then sort by whatever column(s) you need. [Save your work!]

4. Create your own data table: copy just the data you are going to use and paste it into a table in the "Student-Created Data Table" worksheet. [Save your work!]

5. Make a graph: select the data column(s) you want to graph, click "Insert" from the top menu bar, and under "Charts," choose the graph type you want (use a line or scatter to show change over time). [Save your work!]

6. Finish the graph: properly title your graph, label your axes, and adjust your intervals and scale to meet the expectations of T.A.I.L.S. [Save your work!]

7. Add trendline: right-click on the actual data in your graph, select "Add trendline," and on the right-hand sidebar that appears for trendline options, select "Display equation . . ." and "Display R-squared . . ." [Save your work!]

Data

Create your own graph in the "Student-Created Data Table" section of the spreadsheet.

Graph

To graph, follow the steps in the procedure.

• Click here for a column graph tutorial for Microsoft Excel 2010.

• Click here for a line graph tutorial for Microsoft Excel 2010.

Part 6: Conclusion

Write a full conclusion.