You can go straight into exploring the data, but if you need more background information about paleoclimate, please review the websites that provide background information (found after the data section).
Data:
First look at data included in the Atmosphere dataset on the WorldWatcher CD. Select the Geography Dataset for the Worldwatcher welcome screen. When the “Geography” window appears, double click on the word “Atmosphere.” The best way to observer time varying data is to use the “Animate” feature of Worldwatcher. This creates a Quicktime movie of the data and you can use the scroll bars at the bottom to step through each month’s dataset. In addition, it is best to open a single month’s dataset so you can get the portion of the window that shows the relationship between color and data value on the map.
Some of the data you will access will be described as “climatology.” This means that many years have been averaged. For example, if the climatology is specified for a particular month, this means that the data for the specified month are averaged for some number of years. This helps bring out the dominant global patterns.
Surface Wind Speed Data
The dataset we will look at first is the surface wind speed. The data are limited because the wind direction is not available, only the speed. If you would like to explore data that will give you wind direction, refer to the “Winds and Surface Currents” mini-study for directions to the “Ferret Live Access Server.”
What patterns do you see as you step through the months January to September? Compared with the other datasets you have seen, these relationships may not be exceptionally clear. Look for major global patterns and trends and interpret them in the context of the idealized global atmospheric circulation model discussed in your text. Please refer to your textbook for additional information about climatic winds (Chapter 7 in Segar).
Can you see a strengthening or weakening of any particular patterns as you step through the months from January to July?
First concentrate on the Southern Hemisphere. There is a clear band of wind at the circling the Earth and crossing at the tip of South America.
Does this surface wind strengthen or weaken
as we progress from January to July?
What is this band of surface winds called?
As you move to the Northern Hemisphere, just above the equator, look at the data for June and July.
What is happening off India and Saudi Arabia? This is a condition that called “monsoon”
winds. Refer to your textbook for a write up of the monsoon. What
happens to these regions during the monsoon?
Surface Pressure Data
Look at the surface pressure data for the months of June and July.
See the large area of different color over Asia? Is this an area of relative high or low pressure?
What does this have to do with the development
of the monsoons?
How do you think this might affect the wind direction?
Precipitation Data
The precipitation data is not housed
under the precipitation database, but is instead found in the Climatic Averages
database. Climatic averages are shown in the “Atmosphere” window
that you got the winds data from. Again, in this database there are a number
of different datasets, so choose carefully. Open a single database for average
precipitation by month to understand the scale, then create an animation of
the average precipitation by month by choosing the months of January through
September. Notice that during the months of January through March, the Southern
Hemisphere is experiencing its rainy season. In April the precipitation patterns
shift.
The data show zero precipitation over the
oceans. Why is this?
Give a brief description of
the patterns that you see from January to July.
The animation reveals large areas
of low precipitation that remain low over the seasonal change. What do
we call these areas?
Now you should concentrate on the Indian region.
As you step through the data
what do you see developing in India?
What is your proof for this?
Would you plan a vacation for South East
Asia during the month of July?
Another useful dataset is the “precipitable water vapor” accessed from the water vapor menu of the “Atmosphere” window. This shows the amount of water available for precipitation. You should be able to explain the major pattern using the idealized global atmospheric atmospheric circulation model.
Other Data Sources
Now you can use an Internet browser (either Internet Explorer or Netscape) to access the World Wide Web. Listed below are several web sites covering the various issues concerning the Indian monsoon.
http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/dees/ees/climate/lectures/gen_circ/surfaceWind.html
What happens to the wind direction over India from January to July? What does this have to do with differences in air pressure? What does this have to do with differences in precipitation?
http://ingrid.ldeo.columbia.edu/
The above link takes you to the IRI/LDEO climate data library. It’s a great resource! It contains powerful animations of the winds and precipitation on a Global or Regional basis. It will be a very powerful resource for finding weather and climate data on your Earth Summit country. The two links below are the same site, but take you to important locations on the site, for this study.
http://ingrid.ldeo.columbia.edu/maproom/
http://ingrid.ldeo.columbia.edu/maproom/.Regional/
How do these data show how the monsoon occurs? Describe your ideas.
Background information:
Effect on agriculture: http://www.usda.gov/agency/oce/waob/jawf/profiles/specials/monsoon/monsoon.htm
What were the parameters of the El Nino discussed, that caused the change in the monsoon?
http://www.expressindia.com/fe/daily/19990616/fec16010.html
http://www.the-week.com/99aug08/life6.htm
These websites explore the idea that human caused pollution can affect the Indian monsoon and how the monsoonal rains can distribute this pollution.
Presentation Framework
Your presentation should include a brief overview explaining the significance of Indian monsoon. You should then choose as many of the following topics as is necessary to explain the concept. Choose topics that you think might be relevant to understanding climate change. Your presentation should include interesting findings from your investigations, backed up with data. You must use the physical data in your presentation.
You may choose from the following list of topics, or investigate a topic of your own. The topics in the list are examples of investigations that could be made using the data available at the URL’s listed above.