Classroom/Laboratory Activity: Linear Regression on Arctic Ice Data

A classroom/laboratory activity to perform linear regression on climate data from the Arctic.

Students will perform linear regression analysis on the average monthly extent of Arctic sea ice (from 1979 to the present) and will compare the residual plots for different months.

Use this tool to help your students find answers to:

1. Create and compare the residual plots for the Arctic ice extent in March and September.
2. Explain the difference observed in the two plots (Ref: 1.).

About the Tool

Tool Name	Arctic Ice Data
Discipline	Statistics
Topic(s) in Discipline	Linear Regression; Residual Plots; Confidence Interval
Climate Topic	Climate and the Cryosphere; Climate Variability Record
Type of Tool	Laboratory Activity
Grade Level	High School; Undergraduate
Location	Global
Language	English
Translation
Developed by	Thomas J. Pfaff, Ithaca College
Hosted at	Sustainability Math
Link	http://sustainabilitymath.org/statistics-materials/
Access	Online/Offline
Computer Skills	Intermediate

(Image Credit: NASA)