How
does the weather compare
between Tallahassee,
Florida and Puerto Ayora, Galapagos, Ecuador?
By
Melina
 |
 |
Abstract
The
purpose of my project was to investigate the question: “How does the
weather on the equator compare with the weather in Tallahassee, Florida
at Latitude 30°N?” I thought
that the weather in Tallahassee would vary a lot, and the weather on the
equator would be more consistent. I predicted that the temperatures
would be similar because this is the end of the summer season in Florida
and it is the cool season in South America. October is a dry month in
both places, so I thought that there would not be much rain in either
place. To begin collecting my data I had to get a thermometer and rain
gauge. Then, every morning at 7:30, I checked the instruments to see
what the temperature was and how much it had rained. I wrote these
numbers down in my science project notebook. Meanwhile, my mother
collected temperature and precipitation data from Galapagos in South
America and sent it by email to me. My results show that the weather in
Tallahassee varied more than the weather in South America. There was not
a big difference in the daily mean temperatures between Tallahassee and
Puerto Ayora, but the temperatures were more consistent in Galapagos
than in Tallahassee. My rainfall data shows that during October there is
little precipitation in either place. My conclusion was, that I
correctly predicted that the weather in Tallahassee would vary more than
in Puerto Ayora on the equator. I
was also correct in thinking that the daily mean temperatures would not
be very different, and that, because it was not the rainy season in
either place, it would not rain much at all.
Experimental Design
PROBLEM:
How
does the weather in Puerto Ayora, Galapagos at latitude 0°
compare with the weather in Tallahassee, Florida at latitude 30°
N
PURPOSE:
To compare how the weather
differs between Tallahassee at latitude 30°
N and Puerto Ayora, Galapagos at latitude 0°
HYPOTHESIS:
I think that the weather in
Tallahassee will vary a lot, and the weather on the Equator will be more
consistent. The temperatures will be similar because this is the end of
the summer in Florida and the cool season in South America. October is the
dry season in both places so there will not be much rain I either one.
VARIABLE:
Data gathered in Tallahassee, Florida
and in Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
MEASURED DATA:
Max/Min temperature, daily rain
fall.
MATERIALS:
Max/Min
thermometer, rain gauge.
Experimental Procedure
PROCEDURE:
Data Collected by Melina in Tallahassee, Florida at 30°N.
Obtain
max/min thermometer and rain gauge.
Set
them up outside, in the back yard.
Every
morning at 7:30 a.m. (EST) collect data.
Write
down collected data in science project notebook.
Data
obtained from the Charles Darwin Research Station, in Puerto Ayora,
Galapagos at
Obtain
data from CDRS.
Send
data to Melina by e-mail.
Experimental Data Analysis: Graph of Data
Experimental Write Up
RESULTS:
Comparing the rainfall data for Tallahassee, Florida and Puerto Ayora in the Galapagos, there was not much difference because little precipitation fell in either area. Comparing the temperature data it is obvious that on the equator the temperature does not vary much from day to day. In Tallahassee the daily temperatures vary much more than on the equator.
CONCLUSION:
Like I said in my hypothesis I thought the weather in Tallahassee would vary and on the Equator the weather would be more consistent. I thought the temperature would be pretty much the same in both places. I did not think that it would rain much in either place. As you can tell from the graphs my hypothesis was correct.
The temperature range in Tallahassee in the month of October 2004 was from a high of 91°F and a low 52°F and the daily mean temperature varied between a high of 80°F and a low of 61°F. The daily mean temperature in Puerto Ayora varied between a high of 73°F and a low of 69°F. The total rainfall in Tallahassee was 2.5˛, and in Puerto Ayora the total rainfall was .39˛.
APPLICATION:
Understanding the temperature and rainfall data of Tallahassee and Puerto Ayora would be useful for travelers who want to travel to either of these places. They are both popular travel destinations.
RECOMMENDATION:
If I had had more time with my mother before she left, to plan what to measure, I would have liked to collect the barometric pressure data to compare the two areas. I would think that it would be interesting.
SUMMARY:
I
was investigating how the weather on the Equator compares with the
weather in Tallahassee Florida. I learned that the weather in the two
places during the month of October is actually fairly similar. There is
little rain in either place. The thing that is most different is that
the temperature varies more in Tallahassee than on the Equator.
Glossary
GLOSSARY
Barometer: an instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure, used especially in weather forecasting.
El Nino: a warming of the ocean surface off the western coast of South America that occurs every 4 to 12 years when upwelling of cold ocean water, off the weather does not occur.
Gauge: a standard of scale of measurement; a standard dimension, quality, or capacity.
La Nina: cooling of the ocean surface off the western coast of South America, occurring periodically every 4 to 12 years and effecting Pacific and other weather patterns.
Meteorology: the science that deals with the phenomena of the atmosphere, especially weather and weather conditions.
Temperature: the degree of heat as an inherent quality of objects expressed as hotness or coldness relative to something else.
Thermometer: an instrument for measuring temperature, especially one having a graduated glass tube with a bulb containing a liquid.
Bibliography
Crystal,
Ellie. “Weather.” Ellie Crystal Metaphysical and Science Website.
Electronic address: http://www.crystalinks.com/weatherdefinition.html
October 20, 2004. October 10, 2005
Lyons,
Walt. “Climate Changes.” The Handy Weather Answer Book. Visible Ink
Press, Copyright 1997 by Accord Publishing Lyd.
“Fact
Monster.” Weather 2000-2004 Pearson Educations.
Reflection
State
this: What is the best about my project! What I learned and what I would
do to make the project better the next time I do it.