An Introduction to Field Data Collection - Part 2

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Hook
Problem: How does the temperature vary on the earth’s surface? Is there a difference at different levels? If there is a variation, why does it happen? Can you represent the data over a large area in a format that is easy to understand?

Materials
Materials:

3 thermometers per group, 5 meter sticks, Graph paper, Field notebook

Procedure
Procedure: You have been selected to provide a site verification of a part of a global climate map generated by a new mapping program. The map will be used to check the ability of a new program that will be used to predict current conditions over the northern hemisphere. This new program will be helpful in the study of climate change that may occur as a result of human production of greenhouse gases. The program combines satellite images, topographic data, and vegetation data with weather service measurements of daily temperature conditions.

The sampling procedure is uniform over the Northern Hemisphere and requires a physical confirmation ( you need to make the measurements at the research site) of conditions within the study quadrat. Your team will record the temperature at 3 levels at each of 11 sites on a 100 m transect. The 3 readings are at: (1.) soil surface, (2.) .02m above the surface and (3.) 1.5 m above the surface.

Additional information that will be needed includes:

(1.) The height of the vegetation (2.) The number of different types of plant per sq. m (3.) Soil conditions (4.) A general description of conditions at the site.

Upon completion of your observations, your group needs to display the data in table and graphical format and supply a copy of that data to the class.

Discussions Questions/Extensions ......
Use the data supplied by the other field teams to draw a map of temperature differences on the study area. Use isotherms to connect regions of like temperature for each data set.

On the map of isotherms draw a map of vegitation.

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