Where do weather forecasters get their data?
That data comes from personal weather stations, uploaded to the MADIS data stream, and used by television meteorologists to help bring local weather conditions to you, the viewer.
Why do scientists use thermometers to collect data?
You can use a thermometer to better understand your health just like a meteorologist uses one to better understand the weather. A thermometer will help you forecast your health just as it will help to forecast the weather. Other tools, like barometers, also help with weather forecasting.
How accurate were thermometers in the 1800s?
Temperature measurements in the late 1800s were accurate to one- or two-tenths of a degree Fahrenheit. Most electronic thermometers are considered accurate within plus or minus 2 degrees F., and require maintenance because they gradually go out of calibration.
How accurate were thermometers 200 years ago?
From the late 1800s to circa 1970s, ocean temperature measurements were taken with high quality mercury thermometers which could routinely measure to an accuracy of 0.05°C and in the right hands could be as accurate as 0.01°C.
What has been the biggest drop in temperature in a 24 hour period?
The largest temperature change ever recorded within 24 hours took place in Loma, Montana. An extreme 103 F temperature range in less than a day occurred in January of 1974!
What is the earliest recorded temperature?
The oldest continuous temperature record is the Central England Temperature Data Series, which began in 1659, and the Hadley Centre has some measurements beginning in 1850, but there are too few data before 1880 for scientists to estimate average temperatures for the entire planet.
Does the earth warm up before an ice age?
Yes. Earth has experienced cold periods (or “ice ages”) and warm periods (“interglacials”) on roughly 100,000-year cycles for at least the last 1 million years. The last of these ices ended around 20,000 years ago.
When did we first learn that carbon dioxide was heating the earth?
1896
What is the strongest force influencing climate today?
Greenhouse gases produced by human activities have caused an overall warming influence on the Earth’s climate since 1750. The largest contributor to warming has been carbon dioxide, followed by methane and black carbon.
Why were CO2 levels so high in the past?
CO2 levels are determined by the imbalance between carbon sequestration (burial in sediments, capture by plants), and carbon emissions (decomposition and volcanic activity). Imbalances in this system created a downward trend in CO2 levels, leading to a glaciation period around 300 million years ago.