UnEarthing Data: Phytoplankton Part 1

In this video, Dr. Brad Hegyi discusses his thought process for analyzing data. He introduces ways to approach data to find interesting stories. He identifies five steps for a data exploration or “data dig”. He explains the first two steps in this video. The other steps are explained in UnEarthing Data: Phytoplankton Part 2. Note that the data he uses in this video are displayed on a map. You may not have thought about a map showing data, but these maps do just that.
There are multiple options to distribute the questions to students including a Google Form or a Google Doc.
- What are the five steps to a successful “data dig”?
- How should you prepare for the “data dig”?
- What data set is Dr. Brad using?
- How does the description help with understanding the data?
- What guiding questions did Dr. Brad use to help understand the data?
- Identify at least one pattern in the data?
- What patterns are oriented east to west?
- What patterns are oriented north to south?
- What advice did Dr. Brad give for comparing data from different seasons?
- What kind of pattern consistently appears every month?
- What kind of pattern appears over and over with the seasons?
In addition, the following glossary is provided for students who need vocabulary support.
- anomaly - something that differs from the normal or standard value
- concentration - the amount of something in a solution or area
- cyclic changes - appear over and over again
- Equator - imaginary 0° line around Earth that divides it into the northern and southern hemispheres
- hemisphere - half the Earth, usually north and south or east and west
- meridional - patterns oriented north and south
- polar - relating to the poles of Earth
- phenomenon - an observable event or situation
- seasonal change - same in the same month/season each year
- stability - consistently appear every month
- subtropics - regions bordering the tropics
- zonal - patterns that are oriented east and west
Teachers who are interested in receiving the answer key, please contact MND from your school email address at larc-mynasadata@mail.nasa.gov.