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The Indian Monsoon is a climatic phenomenon where the ocean
and land interact to create a major weather system that is vital to the Indian
(and other Southeast Asia regions) economies and well-being of their population.
The purpose of this assignment is to use various kinds of atmospheric
and climatic data to illustrate and understand the important processes
that cause the Indian Monsoon. Data are available on the class web site.
A page containing links to temperature, pressure, rainfall, wind and
other relevant data, is available. Please go to the class web site and
link to these data sources.
You must also create a simple sketch or "conceptual model" of
the processes that control the Indian Monsoon.
Use as much data as you find necessary to explain the
monsoon. The data links connect to all of the data that you will need,
but it will also be useful if you Google the Indian Monsoon and read
some of the links that seem relevant. There will be credit give for briefly
discussing the importance of the monsoon and how it affects India's economy
and population. <Link to Environmental
Data for this assignment>
Your task(s):
2) Follow the structure given in "Writing a Science Paper".
This resource is in your lab book, or can be downloaded from here from
the Resources list.
Ways students improve their grade:
1) Start early so there is time to interact with the TA and Prof., and
recover from any computer problems.
2) Read the instructions.
3) Write clearly and briefly. If you were telling your non-science friend
about this, how would you express it to him/her?
4) Explicitly demonstrate how the data that you illustrate lends support
to the model figure that you draw. It is not enough to just show a data
plot. You must describe the salient features and show how it agrees with
your model's features and predictions.
5) Attend class, where these issues are often discussed.
Ways students sometimes lower their grade:
1) Don't read the instructions for the assignment
2) Don't read "Writing a Science Paper", which clearly spells
out how to write this paper.
3) Use too many figures
4) Use too few figures
5) Scan your model figure from the book, rather than drawing your own.
6) Write a "book report" where no data are used.
7) Don't use a location map
8) Don't annotate figures
9) Don't start until the last evening before the due time
10) Don't interact with your TA or professor when questions arise. This
can happen when you start so late that they are not available.
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