Statewide Monthly/Seasonal Temperature and Precipitation
Data, Graphs, and Maps
Grades6-APBiology, Earth and Space Sciences, Mathematics
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by University of Maine Climate Office
What it is
- This interactive graph and map shows the temperature and precipitation changes in Maine over the last 100+ years, allowing users to select from a number of different data sets to view.
- The map changes as you scroll over the graph and you can view data by month, year, season, growing season, frost season, or water year.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This tool lets users see data specific to Maine's three geographical regions.
- The original data comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Additional Prerequisites
- If clicked, the three horizontal bars above the chart provide options for printing, downloading, and viewing the data.
- The maps and charts can only be downloaded separately, not as one image or an interactive.
Differentiation
- This interactive tool could supplement a lesson on how climate change is impacting seasonal temperatures, ecosystems, and agriculture around the world.
- Teachers could use this interactive tool to ask open-ended questions about the aspects of human activity that are causing climate change.
- This could support a classroom discussion where students consider what average Americans would think about this data.
- Math and science classes could use this resource to have students practice graphing from a data set, data analysis, and critical thinking skills.
- Science and geography classes can determine why the Coastal region of Maine has much different data than the North region.
From the scientist review
This resource from the Maine Climate Office presents statewide and regional temperature and precipitation data from 1895. The resource uses a simple mapping and graphing tool where climate division, variable, and time interval can be chosen, and then annual results are shown on a map of Maine and in a time series plot. The student can select a year on the plot to show the geospatial variation in precipitation or temperature. Figures can be saved as images or in PDF files, and data is available as either comma separated values or JavaScript Object Notation. This resource features excellent historical data up to the present, is easily searchable, and provides an opportunity for a great deal of independent research. This resource is recommended for teaching.
How we review resourcesReady to use it?
Hosted on mco.umaine.edu
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