GEOL-412 - BC Climate Change project

We have good-quality temperature and precipitation data for 26 stations in BC, some going back over 100 years.  You can work alone or in groups, but each person must take responsibility for at least one station.  For example, if you’re in a group of two you must do at least two stations.  Once you have chosen your station(s) I will send you the relevant data.  There are data available for maximum and minimum daily T, average daily T, total daily precipitation, total rain and total snow, and depth of snow on the ground.

For an overview of how weather-station data are used to determine climate-change patterns you should read this 2010 paper by J. Hansen et al. from NASA.

Station list

Required elements (80%)

Introduction

Describe the stations location(s) and elevation(s). For each station include a general location map (about 50x50 km), and a location image.  (Use Google Maps to pinpoint the location from the lat/long provided above, create a detailed location air-photo/sat-image (about 1 x 1 km or less) and comment on the potential for urbanization effect.)

Data description

Overview of the extent of the data (start & end dates, gaps) and the quality (# of estimates, missing)

Results

Using daily mean temperatures  (“avgt”)

1.       calculate monthly means*

2.       graph (mean monthly temperature versus decimal-date - using Excel "Scatter")

3.       generate a 12-point moving average and show a graph with a linear trend and the line equation

4.    same as above but for the years 1945 to 2005 only (or earlier if your data ends earlier)

Using daily precipitation (“prec”)

1.       calculate monthly totals

2.       graph (total monthly precipitation versus decimal-date - Excel X-Y)

3.       generate a 12-point moving average and show a graph with the linear trend and the line equation

4.       same as above but for the years 1945 to 2000 only

Written summary of changes at this station

Discussion

·         Comparison with GISS global T data and discussion

·         Comparison with ENSO and PDO and discussion

·         Comparison of precipitation results with forecasts for precipitation in our region and discussion

Conclusions and implications

References

*(For some instructions on how to do these things please refer to the "how to get started"file)

Optional additional elements (20%)

Do one of:

 a) graphs, description and discussion and interpretation of some or all of the other parameters (e.g., max-T, min-T, snow vs rain, snow on the ground), or

b) a more comprehensive discussion of the likely implications of the observed  climate changes in the area(s) in question (e.g.,  implications for forestry or fishing or agriculture, or surface water flows or groundwater,  or slope stability … etc.)

c) Add an additional station for each person in the group (along with all of the graphs and discussion outlined above).

Maps for temperature and precipitation change:

 

Temperature 1945	Precipitation 1945
Temperature 2005	Precipitation 2005
Temperature 2050 (forecast)	Precipitation 2050 (forecast)
Temperature change per decade	Precipitation change per decade
	Percent precipitation change per decade

Click here to see a table of all of the stations and the data.