Lab 7 Atmospheric circulation
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CUNY College of Staten Island *
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111
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History
Date
Dec 6, 2023
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docx
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ESC 111 Lab 7
Atmospheric Circulation
Introduction
In this lab, you will create maps of the world showing average wind direction and precipitation
patterns. These maps are compiled from satellite data collected by NASA. You will then interpret
these maps and their relationship to global atmospheric circulation. This material was covered in
the lecture on global winds and chapter 7 of the textbook. If you are a student that has trouble
differentiating between colors please let me know so I can show you how to select the most
useful color palette for yourself to interpret the data collected
.
How to Get the Data
1.
Go to
https://giovanni.gsfc.nasa.gov/giovanni/
2.
You will need to create a login to proceed with using the data.
○
Use your student or personal email - should take 5 minutes tops.
3.
Next, select the following options in the menu:
*In the select date range you can choose dates from 1980 to 2021. As long as you select
data for an entire you’re free to use any date range.*
Eastward Wind Component Map
1.
First, you will create a map showing the component of the wind direction that is from
west to east (i.e. westerly which is also called east
ward
).
2.
You should select the variable called
Eastward Wind Component
(search “wind” then
scroll down the list) and select 500hpa under vertical slice (to the right of variable name).
3.
Then select “plot data”. It might take a minute or two to compile the map.
On this map,
a positive value indicates wind blowing from west to east, and a negative value
indicates wind blowing from east to west.
4.
Then download the map as a png file to include with your lab report.
Northward Wind Component Map
1.
Next, you will create a map showing the component of the wind direction that is from
south to north (i.e. southerly which is also called north
ward
).
2.
You should select the variable called
Northward Wind Component
and select 500hpa
under vertical slice (to the right of variable name).
3.
Select “plot data”, then download the map as a png file to include with your lab report.
On the map, a positive value indicates wind blowing from south to north, and a
negative value indicates wind blowing from north to south.
Average Monthly Precipitation Map
1.
Finally, you will create a map showing average monthly precipitation. Select the variable
Combined satellite-gauge precipitation monthly
(search “precipitation” then scroll down
the list).
2.
Using the options button, choose a different colormap for the plot as the one used in the
previous parts.
3.
Change the data limits from 0-10.
4.
Save the plot as a png.
Creating a World Map for Atmospheric Circulation
1.
Using the blank world map on Blackboard, annotate it with arrows to show the main
wind directions, using the information from the wind maps you downloaded.
2.
Also, show the locations of the ITCZ, the subtropical jet stream, and the polar jet stream,
based on the wind directions and precipitation patterns.
Lab Report
Write up your findings about global atmospheric circulation in a lab report, following this
format:
Title
●
Brief, but descriptive.
Introduction
●
What was the topic of this lab?
●
What was the purpose? Focus on the purpose of the work you did and what it
accomplished, not the learning experience.
Methods
●
In this section, you should describe what you did, but do NOT include the actual data or
results. Where did you obtain the data? What information (describe, not the actual data)
did you record (the graphs)? What observations did you make?
Results
●
Write a paragraph describing global atmospheric circulation and precipitation.
○
How does the wind change direction across latitudes?
○
Across longitudes?
●
Describe the precipitation patterns in your plot.
○
How does precipitation vary across latitudes?
○
Across longitudes?
●
Include the maps, and
refer to them in your report
.
Discussion
●
Discuss how the global winds and precipitation belts relate to the model for global
atmospheric circulation.
●
Include your interpretation of the locations of the ITCZ and jet streams.
●
Refer to the maps in your discussion
.
Conclusions
●
Brief summary of your findings.
Include with report:
●
Eastward wind map
●
Northward wind map
●
Precipitation map
●
Map annotated with global winds, ITCZ and jet streams
All materials for the lab report MUST be submitted as a single pdf file.
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