Lab 2 - exploring data -instructions and questions

Working with Data Name: ______________________________________________________________ Collecting Data 1. Describe the difference between qualitative and quantitative data. 2. You have been tasked to assess the risk of fire in the local protected forest. Describe what data you think you would need to determine the risk of fire and how you would collect that data to ensure a consistent and complete data set. You may need to do external research outside of the course material to answer this question. Please review the syllabus policy on responsible learning. 3. Using internet search tools, look for any publicly available data sets that you can access. Describe what data you can find that answers the previous question and what are the limitations of using that data set to answer your research question. Describe how you found this data and how you determine its validity for use.

Describing data Provided below is the annual peak flow of the Rio Grande River, measured in Albuquerque, NM from 1942 to 2022. The data is collected from the United States Geological Survey ( www.water.usgs.gov ). Annual peak flow refers to the highest flow rate of a river that occurs within a given year. It is typically measured in volume per time, so in the US, we often report it in cubic feet per second (cfs). This value often shows the volume of water a river can handle water during times of high flow, such as during heavy rains or snowmelt. 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000 11000 12000 13000 14000 15000 16000 17000 18000 19000 20000 21000 22000 23000 24000 25000 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 Distribution of Annual Peak Flow in the Rio Grande River, Albuquerque, NM Annual Peak Flow (cubic feet per second) Number of events 4. On the graph above, draw a line that shows what the distribution curve would look like. 5. On the graph above, draw and label a vertical line that shows where the mean is. 6. On the graph above, draw and label a vertical line that shows where the median is. 7. On the graph above, draw and label a vertical line that shows where the mode is. 8. On the graph above, circle any outliers that exist in the data set. 9. If any outliers exist, how did you determine if it was an outlier? 10. Describe how this data is distributed? 11. If you had to forecast, what would be the most likely annual peak flow the Rio Grande will experience this year? Explain how you arrived at this conclusion.

Graphing Climate change and temperature Anomalies Scientists use temperatures as anomalies to describe regional or global changes in climate, which describe the deviations from a chosen reference value. Whenever you see data plotted in terms of anomalies, always check the reference value. In climate studies, the reference value is often the 20 th -century average. While the reference period may be some other interval, the overall data and the trends in the data will not change. A positive anomaly indicates that the observed temperature was warmer than the reference value, while a negative anomaly indicates that the observed temperature was cooler than the reference value. This can be used as a global-scale climate diagnostic tool and provides a big picture overview of average global temperatures compared to a reference value. 15. What kind of graph would best represent the temperature anomaly data and why? 16. Using any means to create a graph (e.g., excel, google sheets, hand graphing), create a graph of the temperature anomaly data. Make sure that your graph has all the required and necessary parts to communicate the data accurately and effectively. 17. Describe the trend that you see in the data. Your descriptions should be observations and not interpretations. 18. Draw and label a trend line on your graph for the temperature anomalies and calculate the equation of that line. You must show your work for credit. 19. Using your equation, calculate what the estimated temperature anomaly would be in 2050 and 2100. You must show or explain your work for credit. Global Land and Ocean Temperature Anomalies Year Temp Anomaly (Degrees C) Year Temp Anomaly (Degrees C) 1885 -0.25 1955 -0.13 1890 -0.33 1960 0.05 1895 -0.24 1965 -0.07 1900 -0.07 1970 0.06 1905 -0.27 1975 0.01 1910 -0.4 1980 0.28 1915 -0.09 1985 0.16 1920 -0.23 1990 0.45 1925 -0.18 1995 0.47 1930 -0.11 2000 0.42 1935 -0.16 2005 0.67 1940 0.16 2010 0.72 1945 0.18 2015 0.93 1950 -0.15 2020 0.98

20. Shown above is a graph on how atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide have changed since the onset of the industrial revolution. Describe the trend you see in carbon dioxide through time. Your descriptions should be observations and not interpretations. 21. What is a green house gas? How does the concentration of green house gases influence atmospheric temperature conditions? 22. Using the temperature anomaly and the carbon dioxide data, interpret what is going on in earth’s atmosphere since the industrial revolution.

Above is satellite data from Elephant Butte Reservoir in New Mexico, with the image on the left being from 1994 and the image on the right being from 2003. The scale is located on the bottom, with the bar being 2 km in length. 26. Compare and contrast the images from 1994 and from 2003. Your responses should be observations, not interpretations. 27. Describe a process of how you would estimate the change in water in Elephant Butte from 1994 and 2013. 28. Estimate how much has the water decreased in Elephant Butte during this time