GC/GEOG 431/531 CLASS

ACTIVITY 2

Observations and Modelled Output of the Global Patterns of the Climatic Elements

Overview of Assignment:

Below you will find an assortment of links to various websites where you can find both observations and modelled output of global patterns of the various climatic elements we've been reviewing in class. The steps of your assignment are detailed on the handout that accompanies this activity. Your goal in this activity is to review and discover as much as you can about global climatic patterns - especially their spatial (regional) and temporal (seasonal) variations.

As you explore, remember always to keep in mind the following questions about any climatic information that is presented on web pages in order to critique the value and quality of the information presented:

1. Is this information based on actual observations or is it output from a model?
2. What is the source of the information (i.e., who collected it, gridded it, manipulated it, modelled it, mapped it, etc. -- and for what purpose)?
3. What is the time period that the information represents (how long and what dates)?
4. What are the possible sources of error or inaccuracies in the information? What is the spatial resolution? Over what time period has the information been averaged? What nonclimatic information might have been introduced inadvertantly due instrumentation, analyses, interpolation, and other factors?

Links to Various Global Climatic Patterns

From ACTIVITY 1:

1. Visualization of the Earth's Radiation Budget -- the year 1987
2. Visualizations of the Earth's Climate -- the year 1987

Other visualization sites:

1. Live Access to Climatic Data(from the NOAA PMEL program; especially good for climate over the oceans)
2. GENESIS Earth System Modeling Visualization(animations of model output)

Links from the course home page:

The Daily Planet

Contains "The Weather Visualizer" with links to current maps, satellite images, and more. From the University of Illinois's Department of Atmospheric Sciences.

"EARTHCAST"

Easy access to current weather maps and all sorts of other fascinating Earth images and information. From the University of Maryland's Department of Meteorology.

The NOAA Weather Page

One of the best! Contains an extremely comprehensive list of links to other weather-related WWW sites and servers, including connections to many international weather monitoring sites.

Regional Climate Monitoring

Contains mapped data products, that are updated every Monday, for a selection of countries and regions throughout the world. From the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) of the National Centers for Environmental Prediciton (NCEP).