**(Given visualizations from the GLOBE data archives)**

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**(Present problem requiring use of GLOBE visualizations)**

During a recent web chat with other GLOBE schools, a student was
confused as to why you have to take minimum and maximum temperature
measurements each day. "Why not just take the temperature a few times on
a given day and average them together?", the student asked. One of the
GLOBE scientists who was part of the chat thought it was an excellent
question. "We should make an activity about this!", she exclaimed.

In this activity your goal is to analyze several GLOBE visualizations
and to report your findings on why maximum and minimum temperature are
part of the GLOBE database.

The GLOBE visualizations contain many sub-elements that together form a
useful tool for uncovering patterns in GLOBE data. Above are two
visualizations generated for the same day. One is for the minimum
temperature and the other is for the maximum temperature.

1)  **(Plan Investigations: Pose relevant questions)** Pick one of the
    GLOBE visualizations shown on the previous page. Think of two
    questions you might ask regarding the visualization. A sample
    question might be "What regions of the world have the highest
    temperatures?"

> *Although questions will vary, both questions should be related to the
> same visualization. Examples include but are not limited to:*

-   *How much do the regional patterns of temperature vary from day to
    day?*

-   *What would the visualization look like if the regional landforms
    (mountains, rivers, valleys, deserts, volcanic activity, ocean
    currents etc.) were also shown?*

-   *What would the visualization look like if land cover patterns
    (vegetation, fires, biomes etc.) were also shown?*

-   *What would the visualization look like if human-related activities
    & patterns (cities, population, manufacturing, clear-cutting, fires
    etc.) were also shown?*

-   *Do the ocean temperatures have any relationship to the ocean
    depths?*

-   *Is it possible to see El Nino effects on this type of
    visualization?*

-   *Why is it colder at the South Pole than at the North Pole?*

-   *How many data points were used to make these visualizations?*

-   *Why do the temperature variations show such an uneven pattern
    (non-straight line)?*

2)  **(Plan Investigations: Pose relevant questions)** From previous
    visualizations you have studied in your class, you've noticed that
    the colors change as you go from one location on the visualization
    to the other. Choosing one of the visualizations given and starting
    at the bottom of it, what trend(s) do you see regarding temperature
    as you move to the top of the visualization?

3)  **(Take GLOBE Measurements: Use quality assurance procedures)** A
    student in your science class, Tim, has collected GLOBE data before
    and has always been very careful when taking measurements. Are there
    any data in the images that you suspect might be due to measurement
    errors? How can you tell? What are some possible errors that might
    occur in creating a visualization?

> *Possible errors that can occur when visualizations are created
> include but are not limited to: too few data points used to calculate
> average temperature; not all data points collected at same time;
> measurement inaccuracies due to operator or instrument errors.*

4)  **(Interpret GLOBE Data: Explain data & relationships)** In what
    unit is the temperature given? Do you think the color attribute that
    is used in the visualizations is appropriate for representing
    temperature? Why or why not? Pick one of the visualizations. What is
    the temperature range for the Southern hemisphere?

> *Temperature is shown in degrees C.*

Answers about the preferred color scheme will vary. The key feature to
the answer is the explanation given for the color scheme. Two examples
are shown below:

The colors are okay. Purples "feel" very cold and reds "feel" hot. OR
Purple is at one extreme of the color spectrum and red is at the other
extreme.

> *Personally, I'd omit the purple tones and begin with dark blue for
> the coldest. I'd also omit the green shades and go to more yellows. In
> other words I'd use **dark blue**, **blue, sky blue, light blue, pale
> yellow, yellow, golden yellow, light orange, orange, red orange, red,
> brown-red.** I chose these colors because when you get very very cold,
> your skin can turn bluish color. When you get too much sun your skin
> can get sunburned and turn red or you can get "tanned" which is like
> the brown-red color that I chose.*

The temperature range for the Southern hemisphere in the "minimum
temperature" visualization is: approximately 25 degrees C - less than
--40 degrees C. (note: It is important that the student does not attempt
to identify as specific temperature value at the lower end of the
temperature range because no indication is given that the color
variation at the extremes continues to be linear.)

> *The temperature range for the Southern hemisphere in the "maximum
> temperature" visualization is: above 40 degrees C - less than --40
> degrees C. (note: It is important that the student does not attempt to
> identify as specific temperature value at either end of the
> temperature range because no indication is given that the color
> variation at the extremes continues to be linear.)*

5)  **(Interpret GLOBE Data: Explain data & relationships)** Pick three
    countries on the visualizations that are on different continents.
    What is the range in temperature for each of these countries? Are
    the temperature ranges for the countries you chose similar (within
    about15 degrees of each other) or are they different? Explain you
    answer.

> *Answers will vary depending on the countries chosen.*

6)  **(Interpret GLOBE Data: Explain data & relationships)** Using your
    answer to the question above, how do you think the temperature range
    is related to its location on the planet? For example, what could
    you say about a country in the northern hemisphere when compared to
    a country in the southern hemisphere or on the equator? If you were
    given a visualization that had only average temperature for the same
    day, would it provide more or less information than having the
    minimum and maximum visualizations? Explain you answer.

> *Answers will vary depending on the countries chosen, but should
> include information related to landforms, proximity to oceans, etc.
> Generally, countries in the Northern Hemisphere have higher minimum
> and higher maximum temperatures compared to countries in the Southern
> Hemisphere.*
>
> *A visualization with only average temperature might provide the same
> amount of information since the question asks for information that
> compares the temperature ranges for two different countries which can
> cover a large area. If small countries were being compared and the
> visualization included greater detail than is shown on the global map
> then the max & min temperature visualizations would provide more
> comparison information.*

7)  **(Plan Investigations: Set up another problem)** Using the GLOBE
    database, choose minimum and maximum temperature visualizations for
    another date in 1998. Repeat questions #5 and #6 above for these new
    visualizations, using the same countries. How does help you support
    the argument that it is important to study both maximum and minimum
    temperature measurements?

> *Answers will vary depending on the visualizations created from the
> database.*

8)  **(Communicate: Compose reports to explain or persuade)** Create a
    10 minute presentation that supports the collection and use of
    maximum and minimum temperature data. Be sure to include what a
    visualization is, how you read a visualization, and how you might
    find patterns in the data. Use specific examples that you have from
    this investigation to support you argument.

Answers will vary but should include the specifics asked for within the
question, for example:

-   *definitions of maximum temperature, minimum temperature,
    visualization;*

-   *explanations of using/reading a visualization, how to find patterns
    in data;*

-   *a clearly stated argument for or against use of average vs. max/min
    temperature data;*

-   *use of specific examples to support the chosen argument*