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Student Activity - Data from the RV Tangaroa
Activity idea
During the voyage of RV Tangaroa, scientists gathered data like water temperature and position. Students can view the data, make graphs, explore and make sense of various conditions and use the wind chill calculator to find out how the wind affects the temperature.
The following data points were collected each day for 8 weeks for the Science Learning Hub:
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Date |
The day the data was collected. |
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Julian day |
A continuous count of days of the year, starting on 1 January. This is useful for plotting annual data. |
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Time |
Time the data was taken – in this case, always at noon. |
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Time type |
NZDT stands for New Zealand Daylight Time. |
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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
- Open the Excel spreadsheet (see the link at the top of the page). It contains data from the Tangaroa for the 8-week voyage and a wind chill calculator to find out how the wind affects the temperature.
- 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.
Useful links
Read about how sea navigators measure a ship’s speed.
www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae400.cfm
