Watersheds and Streams: Finding and Analyzing Patterns
(Due at the beginning of
class, Thursday, December 7, 2006)
Where to Begin
In class, you collected data on stream
hydrographs (graphs of discharge vs. time) and some information
on watersheds.
Please note! Some changes occurred during class time as people
added or changed their study areas. Please check your list for
these changes:
* There are only two entries for Addison
Creek at Bellwood, so cross one off your original sheet.
* There are three entires for the Des
Plaines River--one at Gurnee, and two at Riverside (a
Riverside entry was added during class. Please make sure you
added it to your data sheet!)
* There should be an entry for the Little Calumet
River. Please make sure you added it to your data
sheet.
Click
here if you want a clean copy of the data collection sheet, with the
corrections added (Excel worksheet).
What to Do with the Data
Once you have a complete data set, do the following:
1) Analyze the data, looking for patterns in the relationships between
variables. Look for trends: for example, you might find that
whenever variable X increases, so does variable Y. Or, when
watersheds are located in, say, urban areas, their hydrographs seem to
exhibit a certain characteristic, something that doesn't occur when
they are in rural areas. Or maybe you'll find that when the
storms occur in a certain season, or in a certain type of terrain, the
hydrographs look a certain
way. List as many patterns as you can find! The person who
lists the most patterns will get a (small) prize.
2) Choose two
of the patterns you listed in Step 1, and for each of the two
patterns, do the following:
A) Propose a hypothesis to explain the
pattern. (E.g., why
does variable Y seem to increase every time variable X increases?
Explain.)
B) Note any exceptions to the
pattern, and explain them. (Why do these streams/hydrographs not
fit the
pattern? What's different about them?)
C) Suggest a way you could further
explore your hypothesis, or a way to test it to see if it holds true.
What to Hand In
* Your data collection worksheet (see the link above if you want
a clean copy with the corrections added)
* Your typed
answers to Questions 1 and 2, above. Remember to answer Question
2 for two of the patterns you
discovered!
Department
of Earth Science | Northeastern
Illinois
University
© 2006 Laura L. Sanders. Last updated
November 30, 2006.
Department
of Earth Science | 
Northeastern
Illinois University