1. SUNLIGHT
There does not appear to be an obvious relationship between the number of minutes of sunlight and longitude. For example, places between 60 degrees West and 120 degrees West appeared to receive approximately 800 minutes of sunlight which was similar to places between 60 degrees East and 110 degrees East. (Refer to Graph..)

There IS an obvious relationship between latitude and the number of minutes of sunlight. As you travel further north the amount of sunlight minutes increases. For example, places between 25 degrees South and 38 degrees South experienced approximately 650 minutes of sunlight. Places between 32 degrees North and 48 degrees North experienced approximately 850 minutes of sunlight. Of course, this is the situation in May, 2002. There appear to be three anomalies however, these could be due to data input error.

The amount of sunlight a place receives is dependent on the season this place is experiencing. The season occurs because of the tilt of the earth on its axis. In the Southern Hemisphere the places are presently experiencing autumn (fall). There are less direct rays of sunlight falling on the earth’s surface in these places in fall as Southern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun.

In the Northern Hemisphere it is presently spring, with summer approaching. The earth is tilting towards the sun and therefore receives more direct sunlight.

Minutes of Sunlight vs. Latitude (1)	Minutes of Sunlight vs. Latitude (2)
Download Excel graph (melbourne.xls)

2. TEMPERATURES
During the project week, the temperatures varied over the earth’s surface. In the Southern Hemisphere, the places varied from 17 degrees to 25 degrees. Places closer to the equator, for example, 28 degrees South, were warmer than places 40 degrees South., (i.e. 25 degrees compared to 19 degrees)

In the Northern Hemisphere, places closer to the Equator , for example 5 degrees North, were hot, for example, 32 degrees.

The temperatures taken in places between 35 degrees North and 50 degrees North were cooler as you moved further North. There were some variations which were probably due to other factors, for example, local weather conditions, cloud cover etc

Considering temperature and longitude, there appears to be some variation in temperatures from East to West across North America. The temperatures differences could however, be due to local conditions, altitude (and latitude), wind influences etc.

Temperature vs. Latitude	Temperature vs. Latitude
Download Excel graph (melbourne.xls)

In summary, based on our observations, LATITUDE appears to have some influence on temperature, however, LATITUDE has a significant influence on the amount of sunlight a place receives.

We learnt that there was a distinct relationship between the average amount of sunlight and latitude. The graph we drew depicted this very well.

E-mail: MWiber@mentoneggs.vic.edu.au
Download Final Report as a Word Document: melbourne.doc