the large data set

data from the large data set was collected for what time periods?

how many days are in each time period?

• from may to october

• in 1987 and in 2015

• 184 days in each year

what are the advantages of the time periods for which data was collected?

• we can compare the same location during the same month in two different years: 1987 vs 2015

• we can see the impact of global warming from 1987 to 2015 (increase in daily mean temperature for every station)

• we have data collected during calmer, drier, brighter and hotter conditions: June - Aug

what are the disadvantages of the time periods for which data was collected?

• only one spring month, May

• no winter months, so no data during windier, wetter, darker, colder conditions

  • could maybe use October

• cannot use the data to model weather for the entire year

what are the 5 UK weather stations from south to north?

1. Cambourne (most south, costal)

2. Hurn

3. Heathrow

4. Leeming

5. Leuchars (most north, costal)

alphabetical order except H switch

which UK weather station is the only one in Scotland and not in England?

Leuchars

what can be said about the coastal UK weather stations?

• they are the stations that are most south and most north (Cambourne and Leuchars)

• they are windier

as we move futher north, what happens during May to October?

• temperature decreases

• rainful increases

• average amount of sunshine decreases

• maximum hours of sunshine during the summer increases

  • as you go further above the equator, summer days are longer (and winter days are shorter)

what are the 3 international weather stations?

• Beijing, China

• Perth, Australia

• Jacksonville, Florida, USA

what are some characteristics of the 3 international weather stations?

Beijing

• hotter, very rainy summers

• colder winters

• wide temperature range

Perth

• not that hot

• flipped seasons, cold and wet in summer months

• very rainy some days

Jacksonville

• hotter summers

• wet

• hurricanes in October (windspeeds still relatively low)

if temperature increases, then…?

• amount of sunshine increases

• amount of rainfall decreases

• windspeed decreases

what does n/a mean?

not available

missing or unavailable data values

how is daily mean temperature recorded in the large data set?

in °C, to 1 dp

how is daily total rainfall recorded in the large data set?

in mm, to 1 dp

what does ‘tr’ mean?

trace

means there was a trace of water in the measuring instrument

rainfall < 0.05, but not equal to 0

what can be said about the distribution of data for daily total rainfall?

• distribution is not symmetrical

• many 0 and tr values

what does ‘cleaning’ the data mean?

• replacing ‘tr’ with 0 mm or 0.025 mm

• removing data entries if we have n/a and excluding it from calculations

how is daily total sunshine recorded in the large data set?

in hours, to 1 dp

what is cloud cover?

what fraction of the sky is covered by clouds

how is cloud cover recorded in the large data set?

in oktas, using integers between 0 to 8

what is humidity?

how much water vapor is in the air

how is humidity recorded in the large data set?

as a %, using integers

what is associated with humidity above 95%?

fog / mist

what is daily mean visibility?

how far into the distance can you see (a particular sized object)

how is daily mean visibility recorded in the large data set?

in Dm (decametres), rounded to the nearest 100

what is 1 Dm?

1 decametre = 10 metres

what is daily mean pressure?

how much of the atmosphere is pushing down

how is daily mean pressure recorded in the large data set?

in hPa (hectopascals), using integers

1 hPa = ?

1 hectopascal = 100 pascals

how is daily mean windspeed recorded in the large data set?

in kn (knots),

given as integers in the UK

given to 1 dp at international stations

1 knot = ?

1 knot = 1.15 mph

what is the Beauford conversion of windspeed?

conversion of windspeed from quantitative data to qualitative data

calm → light → moderate → fresh → strong

what is daily maximum gust?

the strongest gust of wind that day / the highest windspeed recorded that day

how is daily maximum gust recorded in the large data set?

in kn (knots), using integers

what is wind direction / gust direction?

which direction the wind is blowing from, not to

• if you were to draw an arrow, the arrow would be in the opposite direction to the direction that the wind is blowing towards

how is wind direction / gust direction recorded in the large data set?

as a bearing in °, using multiples of 10 (cannot be 0) and given as 3 digits

or

using cardinal directions: N, SW, ENE

what is the typical range of daily mean temperature in the UK?

4.0 to 33.0°C

what is the typical range of daily total rainfall in the UK?

0 to 20.0 mm

0 to 60.0 mm

many 0 and tr values

what is the typical range of daily total sunshine in the UK?

0 to 14.0 hours

what is the typical range of cloud cover in the UK?

0 (min) to 8 (max)

what is the typical range of humidity in the UK?

70 to 100%

what is the typical range of daily mean visibility in the UK?

200 to 4000 Dm

what is the typical range of daily mean pressure in the UK?

1000 hPa is considered the average

• below this is low pressure

• above this is high pressure

typical range:

• 990 to 1040 hPa

what is the typical range of daily mean windspeed in the UK?

3 to 10 kn

3 to 19 kn

what is the typical range of daily mean windspeed on the Beaufort scale in the UK?

most days are Light, sometimes Moderate

what is the typical range of daily maximum gust in the UK?

8 to 50 kn

what is the typical range of wind direction / gust direction in the UK?

10° (min) to 360° (max)

cannot be 0°

what data is recorded overseas?

• temperature

• rainfall

• daily mean pressure

• daily mean windspeed

  • knots - written to 1 dp, rather than using integers like in the UK

  • Beaufort scale