BOM weather data worksheet 2021 tutorial worksheet PDF

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tutorial work analysing data - BOM weather data worksheet 2021 tutorial worksheet that assists with assignment...

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ENVS1018 Environmental Management for a Changing World Tutorial 3 and 4: Exploring the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) website for climate data In these tutorials we will explore the Australian Government’s Bureau of Meteorology website. This is Australia’s main website for climate data and related information. We will also specifically look at recent data and climate trends for Macquarie Park. To familiarise yourself with the BOM and Climate Change issues see the following resources (and please respond to these resources in your blogs for week 3 and 4). BOM Climate Report 2020 ·

YouTube video (2mins) BOM state of the climate 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZveP6Ivk2S4

·

2020 State of the Climate Report on the BOM website http://www.bom.gov.au/state-of-the-climate/

Drivers of Climate Change National Geographic YouTube video (3mins)

· https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4H1N_yXBiA

In Tutorial 3 you will investigate: 1.

The BOM website; and

2.

Last year’s (2020) weather (rainfall and temperature) data for Macquarie Park.

In Tutorial 4 you will look at longer term climate trends including: 3.

The mean (average) monthly weather (rainfall and temperature) at Macquarie Park; and

4.

Long term change in rainfall and temperature.

These data exploration and interpretation skills will be useful for Assessment Task 2. NOTE: Mean and Average are the same thing but they differ from the term Median. If you don’t know what they mean, ask your tutor ☺ Define ‘mean’ and ‘average’: Adding the total data and then dividing it by the number of inputs Define ‘median’: The middle number from the data which is arranged from the smallest to largest number

TUTORIAL 3 Exploring the BOM website 1. Go to the BOM website www.bom.gov.au 2. Explore the following areas of the BOM website (tip – there’s a search box at the top of the webpage if you get stuck): 1

a. Rain radar b. Agriculture c. Water d. Water Storage e. Indigenous Weather Knowledge Now let’s check what weather data is available for Macquarie Park 3. Click on “Climate Data Online” at the bottom of the BOM homepage 4. In the left hand panel of options, click “Weather Station Data” then “Daily Rainfall” (see below). 5. Now we want to stay on the tab “Select using Text”; “1. Selected” should be “Daily Rainfall, Data about Rainfall” (see below). 6. For “2. Select a weather station in the area of interest” type Macquarie Park, then press “Find”. Then click on Macquarie Park in the “Matching Towns” section. Then in the Nearest Bureau stations panel, click Macquarie Park (Willandra Village). To the right of this, click to get more information “for the selected station” – see image below.

7. A screen with “Site Information” will come up. Fill out the table below for Macquarie Park weather station. BOM Site Information Site name/Station – the weather station name Site number

Macquarie Park

66156 2

Latitude

33.78° S

Longitude

151.11° E

Elevation (m) – height above sea level

65 m

Commenced – when the weather station opened

1970

Status – if weather station is still open

Open

Latest available data (if station closed)

-

8.

2020 CLIMATE DATA Now…let’s look at the 2020 weather data for Macquarie Park. First we will explore the monthly rainfall and then we will look at the mean maximum monthly temperatures and mean minimum monthly temperatures. Go back to the left hand panel and select “Weather Station Data”, then select “Recent Observations”. 8. Select Data about: “Rainfall”, Type of data: “Observations monthly”. 9. For Select weather station type in Macquarie Park then “Find”. Select Macquarie Park for the Matching Location and Nearest Bureau station (as below). Then press Get Data.

1. A table of rainfall data should come up. Scroll down to the 2020 data and click on 2020.

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2. You should see something like the image below. Scroll down and click on “Plot statistics and this year”.

3. Then the graph of Macquarie Park monthly rainfall in 2020 should come up (similar to the one below). This graph also includes the long term mean and median monthly rainfall (calculated from all the data collected at this site)

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Looking at this graph of monthly rainfall in 2020…

At Macquarie Park in 2020, which months were drier than the long term mean? Jan, April, June, Sep, Nov

At Macquarie Park in 2020, which months were wetter than the long term mean? Feb, May, July, Oct, Dec

Now let’s look at the 2020 temperature data for Macquarie Park. To get an idea of how hot and cold each month was on average, we will look at the mean maximum monthly temperature and then the mean minimum monthly temperature. 4. To get temperature data for each year, go back to the left hand panel “Weather Station data” and select “Data about”: “Temperature”, Observations “Monthy” and then this time, instead of rainfall, select “Mean Maximum Temperature” as below. Type “Macquarie Park”, Find, then select Macquarie Park.

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Look down the bottom of the screen (above) and you can see a graph titled “Data available for the selected location”. The years that have data are highlighted in light brown (between 1970 and 2000). Does Macquarie Park have available monthly temperature data for 2020? No

If not, we need to look for the nearest location that does have the data we are looking for. Sydney Olympic Park

10.Look at the “Nearest Bureau Stations” section. Click on each station and see if there is data for 2020. The image below shows the data available for Marsfield. Keep looking until you can find data available for 2020.

What is the nearest weather station that has data available for 2020? 6

11.For the Parramatta North (Masons Drive) weather station, 9.7km from Macquarie Park, make a graph of the 2020 Mean Maximum temperature and Mean maximum temperature (average of all years) (like you did for the 2020 rainfall at Macquarie Park).

Paste the graph here:

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For Parramatta North, which months in 2020 had mean maximum temperatures that were HOTTER than the “long term Mean maximum temperature (ie over all years)”? Jan, April, June, Sep, Oct, Nov For Parramatta North, which months in 2020 had mean maximum temperatures that were COLDER than the

“Mean maximum temperature over all years”? Feb, March, May, Dec 5. Do the same for 2020 Mean MINIMUM temperature at Parramatta North. Paste the graph

For Parramatta North, which months in 2020 had mean minimum temperatures that were COLDER than the “Mean minimum temperature over all years”? March, May,

For Parramatta North, which months in 2020 had mean minimum temperatures that were HOTTER than the “Mean minimum temperature over all years”?

Jan, Feb, July, Sep, Oct, Nov

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