Activity set to accompany the NeMO net web site
| |
|
|
|
teacher notes and background materials.
Objective: This activity ties together Earth Science and Oceanography. The sea floor is extremely fascinating to study because it is unknown and has a great many odd creatures. Understanding the seafloor features has helped scientists in their understanding of Plate Tectonics. The Seafloor along a plate boundary that is subducting is heated and can produce undersea volcanoes. These volcanic fields are the focus of our study in this activity. The analyzing and graphing parts of the project are designed to engage students in the data from one vent area, giving them a greater understanding of vent processes and undersea volcanoes.
|
Background information:
|
 |
Focusing on the data
This link http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/nemo/realtime/nemonet-ras.html
has a description and picture of where the probes have been placed. Read this
page and answer the following questions.
Describe the locations of the probes T1, T2 and T3.
What is the goal of the NeMO net Remote Access Samplers?
 |
Look
at the daily temperature and pressure graphs ( example to the left). About halfway down this page http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/nemo/realtime/index.html |
Run your mouse over the links that say, probe 1 and probe 2. They are below the image of the graph.
Answer the following questions
What color do they show the Probe 1 data in? ______ Probe 2? _________
Which probe is reporting warmer temperatures? ___________________
Why might this be?
Read the text on this page, and answer the questions below. http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/nemo/realtime/tempdata.html
What is the Julian Calendar?
How must you convert the data in columns 2 and 3 to make them into real temperature data?
What does the number –9999 symbolize?
How often is data stored?
Click on the link on this system B data to see the temperature data sets to analyse.
Here is a sample data string. 20022220910 1088 436
In order to convert it to year, day number, hour and minute,
You must separate it out and then divide the temperature figures by 10.
Below a sample has been done for you.
20022220910 1088 436 year day time temperature 1 temperature 2 2002 222 0910 am 108.8 C 43.6 C
You try this one try this one…
20022161910 1003 551 year day time temperature 1 temperature 2
Now click on the link for the data from system A
Look at the first line or string of data.Copy it here: ____________________________
What can you tell about this data? ____________________________
Scroll down until you get to the first string of valid data.Copy it here: ____________________________
What is the temperature at probe one? _________
At probe two? ________
Processing the data
Scroll to the center of the data from system A to where you see this set of numbers 20033040010 956 1864 23.
(it is most of the way down the page)
Beginning at this line click and hold your mouse to select the rest of the data to graph. Copy this data.
Open an Excel or other spreadsheet and paste the data. You should have pasted 241 lines of data.
In Excel, highlight the column, by clicking on the header where you see a letter A.
Under the data menu, select "text to columns".
Choose the original data type as "fixed width" by clicking the lower radio button.
Click the next button. You will see a preview window. The data should be separated properly: To separate Year, day and time you will need to add several more lines. do this by clicking between the year and day and day and time.
Click next.
Click finish. You will now have an excel file to work with. Save your work.
You can now eliminate the year.Click on the heading A and separate the data in that column to year, day and time, if you have not already done so. Clear column A, since it is the year. Your spreadsheet should shift to the left.
Answer these questions:
How many days worth of data do you have in your file? ______________
How many measurements were made per day ? ________________
At what time intervals? ___________
take a closer look at one day's set of temperatures.
In Excel, insert a new column for processing the data in column C,which is the temperature data from probe 1. Use column D to divide the data by a factor of ten. This formula is =C2/10
Write this formula into cell D2, then fill down the rest of your spreadsheet. You should now see the processed data. How has it changed?Repeat this sequence with the temperature data from probe two, which should now be in column E
Answer these questions:
How much does temperature vary in a day.
At probe A1? _________ Probe A2? _______Which probe seems to record higher temperatures overall and has the greatest variation in data?
Conclusion questions
What might scientists learn from recording these vent temperatures?
Look at the pressure sensors. http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/nemo/realtime/index.html
Do you think pressure and vent temperature are related why or why not?
click this picture to see the map of the vent field in detail.
Optional Graphing Activity
Make a graph of this data showing the date versus the temperatures at Probe A1 and A2 for the data you have analysed above. Instructions to accomplish this are below.
Return to your excel spreadsheet where you have stored your data.
Clear the numbers in column G.
Copy the data from column B (time) by clicking on the header and selecting copy.
use the paste special command to paste it into column G. (choose the "values" radio button in the paste special menu)Repeat this process for the data in column D (A1 probe) move it to column H, and the data in Column F ( A2 probe) to column I.
You are now ready to make a graph.
First, eliminate any rows of invalid data. And / or choose only one days data to graph.
Select the data in columns H and I. Use the chart wizard to make a graph of the two temperatures, choose line graph. You will need to work with excel to get the labels on your graph. But at this point you should be able to see some trends.
Print out your data and your graph to share with the class.
Describe the graphs of A1 versus A2.
