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Student Activity - Data from the RV Tangaroa
Activity idea
During the voyage of the RV Tangaroa, scientists will gather data like water temperature, position etc. Click on the link for a weekly updated Excel spreadsheet. Students can view the data and make graphs and explore and make sense of various conditions. You can also use the wind-chill calculator to find out how the wind effects the temperature.
The following data points are being collected for the Science Learning Hub, each day for eight weeks.
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Date |
The day when the data was collected. |
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Julian day |
A continuous count of days of the year starting on January 1st and numbers sequentially. This is useful for plotting annual data. |
|
Time |
Time when data was taken, in this case always at noon. |
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Time type |
NZDT stands for New Zealand Daylight Time. |
|
Latitude |
This is the distance north or south of the equator, always parallel to the equator, which is the zero line of latitude. A precise location on Earth can be given by quoting the longitude and the latitude. |
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Longitude |
The distance measured east or west from the prime meridian, which has been located at Greenwich, England at 0˚. All lines extend from the North Pole to the South Pole intersecting the Equator. A precise location on Earth can be given by quoting the longitude and the latitude. |
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Ship’s speed |
Measured in knots. |
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Ship’s heading |
The direction in which the ship is going. This is a compass heading. |
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Barometer |
Instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure, used especially in weather forecasting. |
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Air temperature |
Measured in degrees Celsius. |
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Wind speed |
Measured in knots. |
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Wind direction |
A compass heading. |
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Sea temperature |
Measured in degrees Celsius. |
Instructions
- Plot the sea temperature to see how it changes the further south the Tangaroa travels.
- Plot the wind speed.
- Plot the air temperature and compare it with the location of the ship.
- Compare the ship’s speed and wind speed.
- Compare the Barometer reading with the air temperature and the sea temperature.
Read about how sea navigators measure a ship’s speed.
