Lab 2: GAT Tasks 1-3

Task 1: (1 table with 10 pair of randomly selected years and their corresponding
temperatures, find their difference [2nd year minus 1st year], and then the direction [did it get
hotter or colder from 1st year to 2nd year])

1st Year Temp 2nd Year Temp Difference/Magnitude Direction

1880: 13.75 1881: 13.80 0.05 Hotter

1) Of your 10 years, how many times did the temperature increase/decrease in the
following year?
2) Does it seem possible to predict whether next year is going to be warmer than
this year globally?

Task 2:
- 2 plots comparing DJF (column O) temperature to JJA (column Q)
temperature for two different time periods: one for 1880 to 2006 and
another for 1990 to 2001
- Label the x-y axis, title, and include the trendline with the slope equation
and R2.
Example of 1st Plot:
DJF vs JJA Temperature from 1880 to 2006
14.8 Represents the slope
14.6 equation and R2. I
JJA Temp (C)

14.4 purposely changed

14.2 the numbers, so your
14
y = 0.759x + 3.3749 numbers should be
13.8
13.6 R² = 0.7823 different.
13.4
13.4 13.6 13.8 14 14.2 14.4 14.6 14.8
DJF Temp (C)
Question for Task 2: Compare the slopes of the two trendlines from the two plots.
Task 3:
- 2 plots showing the year (column A) and the yearly temperature (column
N) temperature for two different time periods: one for 1880 to 2005 and
another for 1975 to 2005
- Label the x-y axis, title, and include the trendline with the slope equation
and R2.
Example of 1st Plot:

Annual Global Average Temperature from 1880 to 2005

14.8

14.6

14.4
Temperature (C)

Represents the slope

14.2
equation and R2. I
purposely changed
14
the numbers, so your
13.8 y = 0.0065x + 1.4066
numbers should be
R² = 0.7248 different.
13.6

13.4
1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020
Year

Questions for Task 3:

1) How would you describe the general appearance of this curve (1880 to 2005 plot)? Describe the
major features of the global temperature time series.
2) How much warming has occurred over the entire time series? (Find the coldest temperature and
the hottest temperature and calculate the different. HINT: if you move your mouse above any
point in your scatter plot I excel, it’ll show you the temperature and year associated with that
point)
3) How does the slopes of the two graphs (1880 to 2005 and 1975 to 2005) compare?
4) Is CO2 a perfect global temperature predictor?
5) What are the 5 warmest years in the record? The 5 coldest? (Again, use the hint from question 2
to help you. You should be looking at the lowest points and highest points in your 1880 to 2005
plot)
6) Have we come anywhere close to having one of the coldest years in the record during your
lifetime?
7) How long a record is needed to see clear evidence of global warming? Why?