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Ideas for projects using climate data

Use these climate questions to spark ideas for science projects.

Ideas for projects using climate data

  1. “The weather has been particularly warm” – investigate statistically.
  2. How accurate is the forecast? (compare with actual temperatures and rainfall)
  3. The reality of global warming in my town.
  4. Is it more likely to rain in the school holidays?
  5. Is my city/town getting warmer?
  6. Investigate the correlation between grocery sales and the daily weather conditions.
  7. Investigate long-term weather patterns.
  8. Compare temperature/rainfall/climate of the main centres/different locations.
  9. Investigate rainfall/temperature trends in _____ over past __ years.
  10. Time-series analysis using rainfall or temperatures.
  11. Which is sunnier: Auckland or Wellington?
  12. Which city has the warmer/drier/windier/sunnier climate?
  13. Is Wellington really the windiest city?
  14. Do the temperatures of Northland exceed Southland by 5 degrees?
  15. Does the temperature affect the attendance at “Adventure Park”?
  16. Does the temperature affect the rugby ball in play?
  17. Investigate the feasibility of a farming venture.
  18. Is the speed of a cyclist on a return trip affected by the wind?
  19. Do cities with same latitude have similar weather patterns?
  20. Does climate affect the viability of building an international airport at _____?
  21. Compare average monthly rain and temperatures in NZ to 10 years ago.
  22. How does the weather affect shopping patterns?
  23. Investigate the relationship between rainfall and milk/butterfat production.
  24. Investigate the relationship between rainfall and umbrella sales.
  25. Investigate the relationship between temperature and coat sales.
  26. Does snowfall depend on altitude or latitude?
  27. Investigate the relationship between temperature and latitude.
  28. Do the sunniest locations have less rain?
  29. Does ozone depletion cause a significant improvement/rise in Dunedin temperatures?
  30. Make a case for the staging of a large outdoor concert in your city.
  31. How are weather patterns predicted?
  32. Which cities will be affected by global warming and rising sea-level?
  33. What effect would rising sea-level have on land area and population in different parts of New Zealand and/or the Pacific Islands.
  34. An analysis of temperature patterns across a town/city.
The Donaldson-Nurse family enjoying a bit of fun in the snow above Brooklyn, August 2011. From left - Gus Donaldson, Tiger-Lily Donaldson-Nurse and India Donaldson-Nurse. Permission granted for NIWA use. [Dave Allen]
Projected annual mean precipitation change between 1980-1999 and 2080-2099. [NIWA]