Climate Data Analysis

Undergraduate #242
Discipline: Mathematics and Statistics
Subcategory: Climate Change

Candace Petersen - University of the Virgin Islands
Co-Author(s): Avram Primack

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This study examined climate data collected by National Climate Data Center at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration between 1951 to 2013 for the Territory and the larger Caribbean for seasonal and long term patterns. We choose to use data from 1972 to 2013 because it has the most continuously operating stations that recorded MAX and MIN temperature and precipitation. At many of the stations data was recorded by hand. At others mechanical devices were set by hand. Both of these can result in errors and missing entries in the data series. I reviewed the data and constructed criteria in order to determine which were likely errors. The remaining data was reviewed and analyzed for patterns over the chosen years. As a result, it appears that from 1972 to 2013 that temperatures are steadily rising.

Funder Acknowledgement(s): This research was funded by the NSF HBCU-UP Grant #1137472, ECS Honors Fund, and Title III.

Faculty Advisor: Avram Primack,