Lab 3: Isarithmic Mapping of Iowa Temperature and Precipitation

The purpose of this project is to explore patterns in Isarithmic mapping of Iowa's minimum and maximum temperatures and rainfall. All maps were created from data provided by Iowa Environmental Mesonet, an organization that collects environmental data from cooperating networks and organizations. One program that provides such data is The National Weather Service's (NWS) Cooperative Observer Program (COOP), which is a nation-wide network of volunteers that make daily weather observations. The data was mapped based upon guidance from Dr. Caglar Koylu of The University of Iowa Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences and the color schemes were developed by Color Brewer developed by Cynthia Brewer, Mark Harrower, and The Pennsylvania State University.

Based upon the observations made from each dataset, a few patterns become evident. Firstly, higher precipitation occurs in the North East and South West of Iowa although this does not seem to correspond directly with any of the temperature data which is mostly separated by horizontal strata in the North, Central, and Southern portions of the state. Secondly, as one might expect, the year with the highest maximum and minimum temperatures (2012) had the lowest precipitation with the following years decreasing in maximum temperatures and increasing in precipitation rates. The minimum temperature changes however offer no clear correlation with precipitation levels. However, it is important to note that more complex statistical analyses can be done to look further into the data and that these conclusions are simply based off of initial observations of these Isarithmic maps. A longer temporal span, greater geological area (including surrounding states) and meteorological data of the continent and the globe could allow for a better understanding of these phenomenon. Future study could be driven by this as well as the continuance of data collection by the groups responsible for this data as noted above. With their continued work, longer term studies become more possible and allow greater insight.