Solar Radiation Lab Report

Solar Radiation Lab Report

Instructions/Descriptions

Purpose

Examine (daytime) surface temperature and solar radiation received at locations found near similar latitudes using NASA Data.

Learning Objectives

Analyze (daytime) surface temperatures between locations to identify patterns.

Analyze solar radiation between locations to identify patterns.

Examine the patterns and determine variables that may be responsible for differences.

Materials Required

Comparing Temperature and Solar Radiation for Common Latitudes-Student Sheet .docx

Download Comparing Temperature and Solar Radiation for Common Latitudes-Student Sheet .docx

Please find a Slide Show Version of this Lab Information Here: Comparing Temperature and Solar Radiation for Common Latitudes Interactive Slides.pptx  Download Comparing Temperature and Solar Radiation for Common Latitudes Interactive Slides.pptx

Included in the Above Student Resource Card:

Monthly Flow of Energy into Earth’s Surface by Solar (Shortwave) Radiation (W/m²)

Monthly Surface Skin (SKIN is the surface of the Earth) Temperature (Celsius)

In this Lab, you will be analyzing the data from the following cities:

Miami, Florida

Leon, Spain

Tokyo, Japan

Nashville, Tennessee

Graben, Switzerland

Asyut, Egypt

Detroit, Michigan

Missoula, Montana

Misconception

A common misconception is that the seasons are caused by the distance between Earth and Sun.[Order Now]

In fact, summer in the Northern Hemisphere occurs at aphelion, the farthest distance between Earth and Sun, and follows summer solstice when incident sunlight is most concentrated along the Tropic of Cancer, 23 degrees 26 minutes 22 seconds North.

Air temperature is not affected by elevation (AAAS Project 2061, n.d.).

The maximum height the Sun reaches in the sky on any given day is the same everywhere on Earth (AAAS Project 2061, n.d.).

This VIDEO ABOVE shows: Monthly daytime land-surface temperatures from February 2000 to the present using thermal infrared measurements made by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA’s Terra satellite. Credit: NASA

This visualization shows monthly daytime land-surface temperatures from February 2000 to the present using thermal infrared measurements made by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA’s Terra satellite. The measurements shown here represent the temperature of the “skin” (or top 1 millimeter) of the land surface during the daytime—including bare land, snow or ice cover, and cropland or forest canopy—and should not be confused with surface air temperature measurements that are given in a typical weather report. Yellow shows the warmest temperatures (up to 45 degrees Celsius) and light blue shows the coldest temperatures (down to -25 degrees Celsius). Black means no data.

In this LAB, You will be analyze line graphs for two science variables:

Incoming Solar Radiation (Insolation) and

Surface Skin Temperature (Skin is the Earth’s Surface)

See Student Resource Cards (link above) that show the Monthly Flow of Energy into Earth’s Surface by Solar (Shortwave) Radiation (W/m²) cards.

Pay attention to the Title, Location, X and Y Axes units.

Make observations about the cards and attempt to find patterns.

Be prepared to defend your arrangement using evidence from the cards and reasoning.

WHY DO WE LEARN THIS? The Sun = Energy!!

These graphs show where and how much sunlight fell on Earth’s surface during the time period indicated. The values represent the Watts (a unit of energy flow – Joules per second) that strike over a 1-meter by 1-meter area, averaged over one month.

Scientists call this measure solar insolation.

Energy from the Sun warms the surface, creating updrafts of air that carry warmth and moisture up into the atmosphere.

Knowing the rate of sunlight reaching the surface helps scientists understand weather and climate patterns.

Exposure to sunlight is also a key limit to plant growth, particularly in tropical rainforests.[Order Now]

Thus, insolation maps are also useful to scientists studying plant growth patterns in different parts of the world.

Solar insolation graphs and maps are also useful to engineers who design solar panels and batteries designed to convert energy from the Sun into electricity to power appliances in our homes and workplaces.

DIRECTIONS

Click on below link:

Comparing Temperature and Solar Radiation for Common Latitudes Interactive Slides.pdf  Download Comparing Temperature and Solar Radiation for Common Latitudes Interactive Slides.pdf

There are four pairs of cards.

Analyze all of the Monthly Flow of Energy into Earth’s Surface by Solar (Shortwave) Radiation (W/m²) cards and look for the cards that you believe are similar pairs. (Tips: This can be as open-ended as you like. You may sort by latitude, longitude, urban, rural, suburban, graphed signatures for maximum and minimum values, etc.)

See C-E-R Rubric Below: This is how you will be assessed in this LAB.

C-E-R Stands for Claim, Evidence and Reasoning.

Review the CLAIM Statement on your Data Sheet and make sure it connects the phenomenon of insolation with surface temperature.

Review and write the EVIDENCE (Possible questions guiding their observations may include: How does the amount of solar radiation/temperature at each location compare? What is the detectable pattern in the graph?

Connect science concepts to our evidence as possible explanations (or reasoning).

REASONING: What explanation can you give for this pattern? What science principle supports this evidence? etc.)

Repeat this process for Surface “Skin” Temperature cards. The second graph compares the monthly average surface skin temperature at each location. Surface Skin Temperatures are quantitative observations made by remote sensing instruments on satellites that provide the temperature of the topmost layer of the ground. This added value provide information about the land’s surface such as its radiative properties.

Analyze the paired surface temperature graphs and answer the following questions:

How do the temperatures compare between the locations?

What is the detectable pattern in the graph?

What explanation can you give for this pattern?

9. Select one pair of cards to examine and begin observing.

What other variables, besides solar radiation, can you identify as possibly having an effect on surface

Solar Radiation Lab Report

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