Changes in Air Temperature and Soil Temperature
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TweetCold fronts in Oklahoma often bring very rapid changes in temperature across the state. Take a look at the map of air temperatures across Oklahoma on January 22, 2019 at 2 PM. The yellow line indicates the boundary between temperatures above and below freezing (32°F).
Plot the hourly air temperature and soil temperature data for Norman, Oklahoma (a town in the central part of the state). Hint: Use the x-axis for time and the y-axis for temperature.
|
Time |
Air Temperature |
Soil Temperature |
|
Time |
Air Temperature |
Soil Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
9:00 AM |
55 |
44 |
|
9:00 PM |
29 |
41 |
|
10:00 AM |
55 |
44 |
|
10:00 PM |
28 |
40 |
|
11:00 AM |
55 |
45 |
|
11:00 PM |
28 |
40 |
|
12:00 PM |
55 |
45 |
|
12:00 AM |
27 |
39 |
|
1:00 PM |
55 |
46 |
|
1:00 AM |
26 |
39 |
|
2:00 PM |
39 |
46 |
|
2:00 AM |
24 |
38 |
|
3:00 PM |
36 |
46 |
|
3:00 AM |
24 |
38 |
|
4:00 PM |
34 |
45 |
|
4:00 AM |
23 |
38 |
|
5:00 PM |
33 |
44 |
|
5:00 AM |
23 |
37 |
|
6:00 PM |
32 |
43 |
|
6:00 AM |
22 |
37 |
|
7:00 PM |
31 |
42 |
|
7:00 AM |
21 |
37 |
|
8:00 PM |
30 |
41 |
|
8:00 AM |
23 |
37 |
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From the air temperature line graph, circle when the cold front occurred. Approximately what time did the cold front pass through Norman? __________
How did the air temperature change compare to the soil temperature throughout the time period?
What are some reasons why the air temperature and soil temperature changed differently with the passage of the cold front?
[Easier: add axis labels and tick marks for the student. Harder: have the student download the data directly from mesonet.org and convert the raw data to LST and Fahrenheit units.]
Submitted by: Dr. Chris Fiebrich
Source: Oklahoma Mesonet
