Name:___________________________

MATERIALS NEEDED: Ruler, pencil, eraser, calculator, and logarithmic graph paper

Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) is a baseline station for The Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (CMDL) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). CMDL's main mission is to conduct research related to atmospheric constituents that are capable of forcing change in the climate of the Earth's environment, for example greenhouse gases and aerosols, and those that may cause the depletion of the global ozone layer. CMDL accomplishes this goal primarily through long-term measurements of key atmospheric properties such as concentrations of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, nitrous oxide, surface and stratospheric ozone, halogenated compounds including CFC replacements, aerosols, and solar and infrared radiation. All these observations are studied and compared to measurements at other locations to detect global trends in our atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a very important greenhouse gas. It is responsible for approximately fifty percent of the greenhouse effect. The data below, derived from ice core and instrumental records, are estimates of changes in its concentration over the past century.

1. On linear graph paper, plot the concentrations of CO₂ through time. Extend your horizontal axis from the year 1900 to the year 2100, and the vertical axis from 280 to 600 ppm.

2. What was the concentration of CO₂ in the year you were born?

3. Predict the concentration of CO₂ in the year 2010.

4. In what year will the concentration be double the 1900 (pre-industrial) level?

5. Now, replot the data on the semi-log paper (semi-log means that only one of the axes is logarithmic, the other one is arithmetic). Refer to the description of logarithmic relationships in Lab 1 to select which series of data should be plotted on the logarithmic axis (time or CO₂ concentration). Pay close attention to the divisions on the graph paper in scaling this axis.

6. Using the semi-log graph, what was the concentration of CO₂ in the year you were born?

7. Using the semi-log graph, predict the concentration of CO₂ in the year 2010.

8. Using the semi-log graph, in what year will the concentration be double the 1900 (pre-industrial) level?

9. Which graph do you have most confidence in (arithmetic or semi-log)? Why?

10.  a) What process are you using to find the CO₂ concentration for your birth date?

        b) What process are you using to predict the CO₂ concentration in 2010?

11. Discuss what social, political or physical changes might affect the accuracy of your predictions (extrapolations). You can use the web sites linked on the G108 web page as a basis for your answer:

1. Using the base map of Maui, Hawaii draw isohyets at 50 mm intervals to illustrate the pattern of precipitation across the island.

HINT: work up from the lowest values, which are found around the coast. On isoline maps, there can be more than one maxima.

NOTE: Remember to stop drawing isolines when you run out of data.

1. If you look carefully at the data there appear to be some differences on the north and south sides of the island. In order to investigate these further, plot two cross-sections along the lines A-A' and B-B' Use the circles with the cross inside to mark the location of points A, A', B and B'.

Use a vertical scale of 1 cm for 50 mm of precipitation. Make sure you label the vertical and horizontal axes and give the cross-section an appropriate title.

The horizontal axis represents distance - use the scale on the map to label it. Extrapolate to determine the precipitation values at A/B and A'/B’ the start and end points of the cross-sections.

2. What is the precipitation gradient (change in precipitation; mm per km, i.e., mm km^-1) from point B to the point of highest precipitation along the cross-section? Show all your calculations.

3. What is the precipitation gradient from the point of highest precipitation along the cross-section to point B'? Show all your calculations.

NOTE: For questions 2 and 3, you have to use the same maximum point (the elevation and distance for that point have to be the same.)

4. Based on the calculations in questions 2 and 3, on which side of the island is the precipitation gradient the greatest.

5. Along what general direction is the cross-section B to B’ oriented? Record your answer both as a bearing (points of a compass) and an azimuth (see Labs 3 and 4).

6. Using the topographic map of the island describe the relationship between topography and precipitation.

HINT: refer to your notes about orographic precipitation in G107

7. What is the RF (representative fraction) of the map? Show your calculations.

8. Using the atlas provided in class, what is the latitude and longitude of the highest point on the island?

9. Should you report a vertical exaggeration for the cross-sections of precipitation you just plotted? Why or why not?

Map Of Maui