Grand Canyon Microclimatology_ Tutorial_ GPH 112_ Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring)
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Apr 25, 2024
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4/1/24, 9:18 AM
Grand Canyon Microclimatology: Tutorial: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring)
https://asu.instructure.com/courses/179022/quizzes/1344364
1/15
Grand Canyon Microclimatology: Tutorial
Due Mar 20 at 11:59pm
Points 4.5
Questions 9
Available after Feb 4 at 12am
Time Limit None
Allowed Attempts 7
Instructions
The type of physical geography data displayed in the Grand Canyon Microclimate and Vegetation
geovisualization are not what you will find via Google Earth. Your avatar interacts with three types of
data that you will study to understand how the topography, surface temperature, precipitation, and
vegetation abundance relate to one another.
Consider what you see when the geovisualization starts up. We've changed the inset map to a view
that simulates an aerial photograph (actually specially processed Landsat data). But otherwise, what
you see here are data you have access to.
4/1/24, 9:18 AM
Grand Canyon Microclimatology: Tutorial: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring)
https://asu.instructure.com/courses/179022/quizzes/1344364
2/15
Attempt History
Attempt
Time
Score
LATEST
Attempt 1
13 minutes
4.5 out of 4.5
Score for this attempt: 4.5 out of 4.5
Submitted Mar 30 at 11:04pm
This attempt took 13 minutes.
Question 1
0.5 / 0.5 pts
The tutorial questions will start with this opening scene and then guide you to come to understand
and interpret data in this geovisualization. You can take this quiz 7 times. You will need to reach 100% correct in order to move onto the
main labs. But please be aware that several of the tutorial questions are taken from large question
banks, where you will be delivered random questions. So for most of the questions - you can learn
the correct answer after the first taking. However, for some of them, we want to force you to actually
turn on the geovisualization and learn about what you are seeing. Take the Quiz Again
4/1/24, 9:18 AM
Grand Canyon Microclimatology: Tutorial: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring)
https://asu.instructure.com/courses/179022/quizzes/1344364
3/15
The avatar and the camera are both looking west
Correct!
QUESTION Please open up the geovisualization. What direction is the camera looking? What
direction is the avatar looking? Yes. We know you already learned this. But this question emphasizes that the direction the
topography faces is VERY important in this lab. Slopes that face north have very different
microclimates than slopes that face south. So we want you to be very certain about how you are
interpreting direction. This little graphic is intended for you to examine and think about the direction
that a slope in the Grand Canyon faces.
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4/1/24, 9:18 AM
Grand Canyon Microclimatology: Tutorial: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring)
https://asu.instructure.com/courses/179022/quizzes/1344364
4/15
The avatar and the camera are both looking north
The avatar and the camera are both looking east
The avatar and the camera are both looking south
The avatar and the camera are both looking north
Question 2
0.5 / 0.5 pts
Correct!
1381
1531
1529
1141
Question 3
0.5 / 0.5 pts
QUESTION: In Fast Travel enter latitude 36.0547 and longitude -112.0630, and go to this
location. Write down the elevation in meters pixel that the avatar is standing on. What is it? You will be using "Fast Travel" a lot if you want to do the lab quickly. First - you open the menu using the arrow on the left side of the geoviz.
Second - you click on Fast Travel
Third - you enter the coordinates Fourth - click on the fast travel paper airplane icon and go
WARNING: There is a giant pool of questions and answers ... literally hundreds of questions in
the pool. We are doing this giant pool in order to encourage students to actually go through this
tutorial. In our experience, we know that students who skip the tutorial ... end up spending a lot more
time being frustrated than those who go through all of these questions. When the geovisualization starts up, your avatar
is standing on a data layer, NDVI. This stands
for normalized difference vegetation index. It is
best thought of as the amount of vegetation
present. In the Grand Canyon geovisualization,
it is scaled from 0 to 1.0. The avatar is standing
on a scrubland of pinyon and juniper dwarf
conifer trees, staring out at the desert vegetation
of the Grand Canyon.
4/1/24, 9:18 AM
Grand Canyon Microclimatology: Tutorial: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring)
https://asu.instructure.com/courses/179022/quizzes/1344364
5/15
We took satellite data on reflected near infrared
(NIR) light and reflected red light, and did simple
math. We subtracted red from NIR in the
numerator and added them in denominator. The image was from summer. If the image was
taken in winter, the oak and other deciduous
trees would have dropped their leaves and the
NDVI would have been lower. QUESTION: In a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon, we took a screenshot in the area of where
the game starts up. This allows you to see the south rim vegetation and then deep into the Grand
Canyon via the NDVI. We think this helicopter scene will help you answer this question: WHEN
THE GAME STARTS UP, WHAT IS THE VEGETATION TYPE THAT THE AVATAR IS LOOKING AT,
DOWN IN THE GRAND CANYON? Hint: its a brown color.
4/1/24, 9:18 AM
Grand Canyon Microclimatology: Tutorial: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring)
https://asu.instructure.com/courses/179022/quizzes/1344364
6/15
ponderosa pine
pinyon-juniper
Correct!
desert
boreal forest
The vegetation in the Grand Canyon is certainly desert. Yes. There is a range of vegetation plant
types, but for this simple tutorial question - let's stick with desert or desert scrub.
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4/1/24, 9:18 AM
Grand Canyon Microclimatology: Tutorial: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring)
https://asu.instructure.com/courses/179022/quizzes/1344364
7/15
Question 4
0.5 / 0.5 pts
BASIC CONCEPT OF TREELINE: The lower
limit of trees in mid-latitude settings like
mountainous terrain of the western USA is
typically controlled by a combination of the
amount of precipitation, the seasonality of the
precipitation, and how hot it gets in the summer.
Also important is aspect (the direction a slope
faces). The diagram shows how aspect
influences the elevation of lower treeline.
Note: in Hawaii, the upper treeline is established
by the paucity of rainfall above a certain
elevation. But for the Grand Canyon, the lower
rainfall is found at lower elevaitons.
Note that the treeline is HIGHER on south-
facing slopes (with more sunlight) and LOWER
on north-facing slopes (with less sunlight)
4/1/24, 9:18 AM
Grand Canyon Microclimatology: Tutorial: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring)
https://asu.instructure.com/courses/179022/quizzes/1344364
8/15
Correct!
1. The slope is facing the same as the avatar, to the north.
2. Thus, this scene is over the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
3. The treeline is just below the South Rim of the Grand Canyon
Do not put down this answer. Just focus on getting straight the idea that the direction that the slope faces will be
important in interpreting treelines in this lab.
In this classic diagram, notice that the north-facing lower limits of each vegetation type are at a higher
elevation facing to the south. This is due to more sunlight exposure.
Take a good look at this screenshot from the game. Focus on the compass ring. The outer ring is the
direction the camera is facing (northeast). The inner ring is the direction the avatar is facing ... and
this is also the direction the SLOPE of the underlying Grand Canyon rim IS FACING. QUESTION: 1. What direction is the slope of the Grand Canyon facing. 2. What "rim" of the
Grand Canyon is this scene from? [Hint: they are opposite]? Where is the treeline?
4/1/24, 9:18 AM
Grand Canyon Microclimatology: Tutorial: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring)
https://asu.instructure.com/courses/179022/quizzes/1344364
9/15
Question 5
0.5 / 0.5 pts
dark brown
dark red
light brown
Correct!
light green
QUESTION: In Fast Travel enter latitude 36.3694 and longitude -111.9351 and go to this
location. Write down the color of the NDVI pixel that the avatar is standing on. What is it? [Select the closest answer, even if you think the color description is slightly off.]
You will be using "Fast Travel" a lot if you want to do the lab quickly. First - you open the menu using the arrow on the left side of the geoviz.
Second - you click on Fast Travel
Third - you enter the coordinates Fourth - click on the fast travel paper airplane icon and go
WARNING: There is a giant pool of questions and answers ... literally hundreds of questions in
the pool. We are doing this giant pool in order to encourage students to actually go through this
tutorial. In our experience, we know that students who skip the tutorial ... end up spending a lot more
time being frustrated than those who go through all of these questions.
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4/1/24, 9:18 AM
Grand Canyon Microclimatology: Tutorial: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring)
https://asu.instructure.com/courses/179022/quizzes/1344364
10/15
Question 6
0.5 / 0.5 pts
BASIC CONCEPT: The sun rises in the east, is at its highest point at noon and sets in the west. In
complex topography, southeast-facing slopes will heat up first in the morning with southwest-facing
slopes heating up most in the afternoon. On flat surfaces, the amount of solar radiation peaks at
noon. The temperature of surfaces also peaks at noon. However, the peak of air temperature lags by
several hours. The reason is that the air temperature is a product of the emission of long-wave
radiation and sensible heat from the surface.
If you want to visualize this, here's a short video (on an ASU server and public domain access):
https://mediaplus.asu.edu/lti/embedded?id=51a5d4fb-5428-412a-b375-
52dfe43102c0&siteId=61e0606e-415d-4001-8206-ffde48430c64&isDeepLink=true
(https://mediaplus.asu.edu/lti/embedded?id=51a5d4fb-5428-412a-b375-52dfe43102c0&siteId=61e0606e-
415d-4001-8206-ffde48430c64&isDeepLink=true&userId=943824) or National Park Service site: https://www.nps.gov/audiovideo/grca/2C35FFB6-155D-451F-
678201C028FFC38A/grca-YakiPtwintersunrise_480x270.mp4
(https://www.nps.gov/audiovideo/grca/2C35FFB6-155D-451F-678201C028FFC38A/grca-
YakiPtwintersunrise_480x270.mp4) This question starts with you using the Fast
Travel Menu to travel to the North Kaibab
weather station. Remember, you have to hit
ESCAPE to change from the game mode to
getting access to the menu. Then, you need to
expand the menu to access Fast Travel. All you
need to do is to click on North Kaibab Station,
and close the menu. Then, hit escape to go
back into game mode. Change the scene layer
to winter temperature.
Then, move the camera around with the mouse
so that you have a view like this one, where the
camera is looking towards the Southwest. With
this view, you are able to see the winter 10 am
temperatures. You will see that the slopes facing
one direction are much warmer than the slopes
facing the opposite direction. I’ve removed the
compass and key information in this view so you
will have to do this in the video game.
4/1/24, 9:18 AM
Grand Canyon Microclimatology: Tutorial: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring)
https://asu.instructure.com/courses/179022/quizzes/1344364
11/15
Answer 1:
Correct!
in the southeastern part of the sky
in the northwestern part of the sky
Answer 2:
Correct!
very little insolation (solar radiation) in the morning
all the insolation (solar radiation) in the morning
Question 7
0.5 / 0.5 pts
This graphic should resonate with your life
experience if you have lived in the lower 48 USA
states. In winter, morning sun is in the southeast
portion of the sky for most of the USA, and this
graphic works for the Grand Canyon.
NOW HERE IS THE KEY PIECE OF INFORMATION FOR INTERPRETING THE SURFACE
TEMPERATURE YOU ARE SEEING IN WINTER: The Landsat thermal data was acquired at
10am in the morning. QUESTION: Select the best answer that fills in the blanks to complete this sentence. The slopes that
face to the southeast are warmer than the slopes that are facing to the northwest in these data
acquired near winter solstice at 10 am in the morning.
The reason why the slopes that FACE to the SOUTHEAST are warmer, is because in winter the sun
comes up in the morning and is in the southeastern part of the sky . The slopes that face the
northwest are steep and at 10am, they would have received very little insolation (solar radiation) in
the morning
4/1/24, 9:18 AM
Grand Canyon Microclimatology: Tutorial: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring)
https://asu.instructure.com/courses/179022/quizzes/1344364
12/15
sides of mountains
mountain tops
Correct!
shallow creeks
small hills
A BASIC CONCEPT in Physical Geography
:
cold air is dense and it slides down into low
spots like shallow river valleys. This happens
when there is not a lot of wind. You can see in
the adjacent image what cold air drainage
looks like in the game; shallow creeks on the
Kaibab Plateau of the North Rim accumulate
cold air at night and surfaces cool down.
In winter, on a plateau with only a little topography, where would you expect to find cold air
drainage? For fun, enjoy this winter scene of cold air drainage ... in an ASU link and a public domain
link:
https://mediaplus.asu.edu/lti/embedded?id=30d25deb-1ef0-4f3d-8b40-
1ea5de5ae9e9&siteId=61e0606e-415d-4001-8206-ffde48430c64&isDeepLink=true
(https://mediaplus.asu.edu/lti/embedded?id=30d25deb-1ef0-4f3d-8b40-1ea5de5ae9e9&siteId=61e0606e-
415d-4001-8206-ffde48430c64&isDeepLink=true&userId=943824) or National Park Service site: https://www.nps.gov/audiovideo/grca/F80750E1-155D-451F-
672713A304A31D33/grca-snowy-forest-1080_480x270.mp4
(https://www.nps.gov/audiovideo/grca/F80750E1-155D-451F-672713A304A31D33/grca-snowy-forest-
1080_480x270.mp4)
To prepare you for the question, please look at the winter temperature layer where the game starts
up.
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4/1/24, 9:18 AM
Grand Canyon Microclimatology: Tutorial: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring)
https://asu.instructure.com/courses/179022/quizzes/1344364
13/15
Question 8
0.5 / 0.5 pts
Correct!
light blue
green
Click on the winter map key layer. The avatar is looking down into the Grand Canyon with a lot of
greenish color in the range of 65˚F surface temperatures. But up on the rim, its colder. Behind the
avatar, the surface temperatures are in the range of 50˚F. The avatar is standing on surface
temperatures in the range of 35˚F.
QUESTION: In Fast Travel enter latitude 36.1482 and longitude -112.2243, and go to this
location. Write down the color of the Winter Temperature pixel that the avatar is standing on.
What is it? [Select the closest answer, even if you think the color description is slightly off.]
You will be using "Fast Travel" a lot if you want to do the lab quickly. First - you open the menu using the arrow on the left side of the geoviz.
Second - you click on Fast Travel
Third - you enter the coordinates Fourth - click on the fast travel paper airplane icon and go
WARNING: There is a giant pool of questions and answers ... literally hundreds of questions in
the pool. We are doing this giant pool in order to encourage students to actually go through this
tutorial. In our experience, we know that students who skip the tutorial ... end up spending a lot more
time being frustrated than those who go through all of these questions.
4/1/24, 9:18 AM
Grand Canyon Microclimatology: Tutorial: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring)
https://asu.instructure.com/courses/179022/quizzes/1344364
14/15
yellow
dark blue
Question 9
0.5 / 0.5 pts
To prepare you for the question, please look at the winter temperature layer where the game starts
up.
BASIC CONCEPT of HEAT ACCUMULATORS:
The relatively flat and rocky surfaces in the
middle of the Grand Canyon accumulate a lot of
short wave solar radiation. Then, as they heat
up, they re-emit this energy in the form of
sensible heat (that you feel), and also in the
form of longwave radiation. Also, the air next to
these hot surfaces are heated up and will rise
creating convection of warm air from the hot
surfaces into the atmosphere above. This is
what these surfaces look like in the game. The
Tonto Platform is a good example. Also note the
cooler region around the Colorado River (light
yellow color) from the plant evapotranspiration
and river water evaporation.
If you want to visualize what these heat accumulators look like inside the Grand Canyon, here's a
video: https://mediaplus.asu.edu/lti/embedded?id=67f28a87-73b3-45e7-8970-
9aa3aecbc347&siteId=61e0606e-415d-4001-8206-ffde48430c64&isDeepLink=true
(https://mediaplus.asu.edu/lti/embedded?id=67f28a87-73b3-45e7-8970-9aa3aecbc347&siteId=61e0606e-
415d-4001-8206-ffde48430c64&isDeepLink=true&userId=943824) QUESTION: In Fast Travel enter latitude 36.4339 and longitude -112.2773, and go to this
location. Write down the color of the Summer Temperature pixel that the avatar is standing on.
What is it? [Select the closest answer, even if you think the color description is slightly off.]
You will be using "Fast Travel" a lot if you want to do the lab quickly. First - you open the menu using the arrow on the left side of the geoviz.
Second - you click on Fast Travel
Third - you enter the coordinates Fourth - click on the fast travel paper airplane icon and go
4/1/24, 9:18 AM
Grand Canyon Microclimatology: Tutorial: GPH 112: Intro to Phys Geography Lab (2024 Spring)
https://asu.instructure.com/courses/179022/quizzes/1344364
15/15
orange-red mix
red
orange
Correct!
yellow
Quiz Score: 4.5 out of 4.5
WARNING: There is a giant pool of questions and answers ... literally hundreds of questions in
the pool. We are doing this giant pool in order to encourage students to actually go through this
tutorial. In our experience, we know that students who skip the tutorial ... end up spending a lot more
time being frustrated than those who go through all of these questions.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
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