Example of the Scientific Method

Example of the Scientific Method

Observation:

In one of the major regions of deforestation, the province of Rhondonia, Brazil, the rainfall has been severely and or completely stopped.

Theory:

As the tropical rainforest of Rhondonia, Brazil is leveled for farmland, rainfall is significantly and directly reduced. Rainfall is reduced because there are fewer trees to return water vapor to the air through tree transpiration, or water evaporation through trees. Relative humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air compared with the amount of vapor needed to make the air saturated at the air's current temperature. The point past saturation is precipitation, or rainfall. If deforestation is the cause of decreased rainfall, then decreased average relative humidity will be evident.

Experimental Design:

In order, to isolate deforestation as the primary factor causing decreased rainfall, tests will be conducted to measure relative humidity. A sling psychrometer will be used to gain these measurements.

http://www.taftan.com/thermodynamics/HYGROMT.HTM

It is used to measure the amount of moisture in the air. The dry-bulb thermometer measures the air temperature, and the wet-bulb measures the lowest temperature that can be obtained by evaporating water into the air at constant pressure. A calculator will be used to convert to relative humidity.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/elp/wxcalc/rh.html

El Paso National Weather Service Office's weather calculator

This converter will take the wet-bulb temperature, the air temperature and the current uncorrected pressure and calculates the relative humidity and dewpoint.

Please enter your air temperature and then choose either Fahrenheit or Celsius.

Fahrenheit Celsius

Please enter your wet-bulb temperature and then choose either Fahrenheit or Celsius.

Fahrenheit Celsius

Please enter your actual station pressure (not sea level pressure) and then choose either millibars or inches of Mercury.

Millibars Inches of Mercury

Relative humidity measurements will be taken every day for one year. The measurements will be taken at different stations in the rainforest. Four stations will be located no further than 10 miles from current areas of deforestation. Four other stations will be located at the interior of the rainforest, and at least 50 miles from recent deforestation. After these measurements are taken, they will be analyzed in three different ways.

Run Experiment:

The daily measurements were tracked for one year.

Comparison 1 - The recent relative humidity measurements of the rainforest will be compared to previous figures of relative humidity.