Unit - PopulationsLife ScienceLesson 4
Drought in Colorado
Teacher Notes
Purpose:
This activity incorporates technology, the use of an online database, and analysis and synthesis of data. In this activity students will complete a webquest looking a drought in Colorado over the last 30 years. Students will use an easy to read database and complete a worksheet.
Time: 1 – Class period
Materials:
Computer: Colorado Drought Monitor Website:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/drought/historical-palmers.php
Worksheet to guide their data collection.
Lesson Overview
Students will complete a webquest, complete a data table using the database located on the Drought Monitor website, students will then complete a short guided analysis.
Drought in Colorado
Today we will complete another webquest to investigate a climate condition. This time we will look at drought.
What is drought? It is a long period of abnormally low rainfall, especially one that adversely affects growing or living conditions.
To look at past drought conditions we will go to the U.S. Drought Monitor and look at the conditions of Colorado over the past 30 years (1982-2012). We will look at what is called the Palmer-Drought Indices. What are Indices? Well they are an index that describe a condition as compared to normal conditions. In this case they tell if the area is normal, dryer than normal, or wetter than normal.
Log on and go to this website:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/drought/historical-palmers.php
In the Index window click on the drop-down menu and choose: Palmer Drought Severity Index
In the Month’s window, hold down the “Control button” and click on “January” “April” “July” and “October”.
In the “Start Year” window choose 1982 and in the “End Year” window choose 2012. Then click “Submit”
You are going to get an animated map of the United states showing the drought indices for the time period you picked. Like on a VCR, click on the Stop button to stop the animation. Then click on the first button.
Now you need to get familiar with the color key. Study the key and answer the following questions:
What does orange stand for? ______
What color stands for extremely moist? ______
What color do you think shows extremely dry conditions? ______
What does white stand for? ______
What else do you think white can stand for? ______
Now, locate Colorado. Below is an example of our state. The state is divided into 5 regions. We are only going to look at the region circled below because most of the stations we have looked at are located in that region.
Now you are ready to fill in the chart on the next page:
Keep in mind the following: January = Winter, April = Spring, July = Summer, and October = Fall
WINTER / SPRING / SUMMER / FALL1982
1983
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2012
1) Color the square the same color as the map key below.
2) Start with winter (January) data first.
3) Then look at spring (April) data, followed by summer (July) and finally fall (October).
4) When you have filled in all the squares answer the questions on the next page.
In this part you will take the information you collected in the previous section and answer some questions using your data.
Your data covers the last 30 years, from 1982 to 2012. By looking at data over time you can come to some conclusions about what is going on!
1. Early in the time period you collected data for, the mountain area of Colorado was (pick one)
Wetter than normal Normal Dryer than normal
2. 1990 was a year that was (pick one) Wetter than normal Normal Dryer than normal
3. The 1990’s started off (pick one) Wetter than normal Normal Dryer than normal The end of the 1990’s was (pick one) Wetter than normal Normal Dryer than normal
4. What year does it look like the big drought started? ______
5. How many years did this drought last? ______
6. What season did the drought end? ______
7. Since the big drought what has the Colorado mountains mostly been like ( Pick one)
Wetter than normal Normal Dryer than normal
WINTER / SPRING / SUMMER / FALL1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
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2011
2012
ANSWER KEY
Activity 3Page 1