The Development of a Climate Time Line Information Tool

The "Climate Time Line" or CTL tool currently in development at the National Geophysical Data Center will provide a climatic and "place-based" context for current weather patterns and a pre-instrumental context for current climate trends. Two audiences-GLOBE students and water managers involved with the Western Water Assessment--are targeted in the pilot project phase to test the CTL as a learning and decision-making support tool. Weather, climate and paleoclimatic observations will be integrated through a web-based interface that can be used for comparing data collected over 10 year, 100 year and 1000+ year periods, and made accessible and meaningful to non-technical users. The Climate Time Line prototype will include the following features: 1) Access to diverse data sets such as NCDC's Historic Climate Network, GLOBE Student Data Archive, World Data Center for Paleoclimatology and historical streamflow data from the USGS; 2) Map Locator/Search Utility for regional inquiries and comparison views; 3) Varying temporal and spatial displays; 4) Tutorial and help sections to guide and support users; 5) Supporting materials including a "Powers of Ten" primer examining variability at various timescales; and 6) Statistical assessment tools. The CTL prototype offers a novel approach in the scientific analysis of climate and hydrology data. It will facilitate inquiries by simplifying access to environmental data. Additionally, it will provide historical timelines for the intended user to compare the development of human cultures in relation to climate trends and variability--promoting an inquiry-rich learning environment. Throughout the pilot project phase, the CTL will undergo evaluation particularly in the area of usability, followed by a pre- and post- assessment of its educational impact on the targeted, non-technical audience. A hypernews workspace has been created to facilitate the development of the CTL. >http://HyperNews.ngdc.noaa.gov/HyperNews/get/ ClimateTimelineProject.html.</a>