Data Puzzles Collections

In this Data Puzzle, students explore the difference between weather and climate in the context of an extreme cold event that occurred during a NFL playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins on January 13th, 2024. The air temperature at kickoff was -4°F, making it the fourth coldest NFL game ever played! But what does this cold weather event tell us (if anything) in the context of long-term average temperature patterns in the region?

Water from snowmelt high in the Rocky Mountains feeds into the Colorado River, a river system that more than 40 million people rely on for water. In this Data Puzzle, students analyze snowfall and snowmelt datasets to investigate the question, "How have snow conditions in the East River Watershed changed over time?"

The dramatic increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide has caused global temperatures to rise by more than 1.1°C (~2°F), but not all warming is equal. In this Data Puzzle, students analyze temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide datasets to construct explanatory models for the following question, "Do the places on Earth where temperatures are increasing the most also have the greatest increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide?"

Much of the western United States is experiencing drought conditions. In this Data Puzzle, students analyze authentic climate data to construct explanatory models for the investigative question, "What is causing the megadrought in the Colorado River Basin?" Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images.

In 2022, strong winds caused the Marshall Fire in Boulder County, Colorado to quickly become the most costly wildfire in Colorado history. Although strong windstorms are a common weather event at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, a particularly windy month soon after the fire had the public feeling on-edge and scientists wondering “Is it becoming windier on the Front Range as the climate warms?" In this data puzzle, students analyze windstorm and red flag warning data to evaluate changing wind conditions on Colorado's Front Range.

Warmer and drier conditions have contributed to the rise in large wildifires that are burning huge swaths of forests across the US Rocky Mountains. In this Data Puzzle, students analyze post-fire recovery datasets to construct explanatory models for the following question, "How do climate conditions impact forest recovery after a wildfire?"

Moss campion is a hearty tundra plant that lives over a wide range of latitudes from New Mexico all the way up to Alaska. For more than twenty years, ecologists have been tracking the vital rates (survival, growth, and reproduction) of moss campion from four study sites. In this Data Puzzle, students analyze a long-term dataset (moss campion reproduction rates and July temperatures) to investigate the question, "How is moss campion reproduction affected by temperature?" Questions like this one can give scientists insight into how these plants might be impacted by climate change. Image credit: Tracy Feldman.

Transitioning from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy sources like wind is essential if the US is to reduce its carbon emissions. But where should new wind farms be constructed? In this Data Puzzle, students analyze surface roughness and wind speed data to construct an evidence-based explanation for the investigative question, "Where in the United States (lands and waters) should new wind turbines be constructed to generate the most energy?" Figure from Wikimedia.

Over the past few years, the media has given a lot of attention to large wildfires known as "megafires". But are megafires a new phenomenon? In this Data Puzzle, students study the environmental conditions that lead to megafires and analyze a megafire frequency dataset to investigate the question, "How and why has the number of megafires changed over time?" Figure credit: DMCA.

Despite average winter temperatures of -30°F and being covered by sea ice for much of the year, the Arctic is home to a huge variety of living things (humans included) that have adapted to these harsh conditions. However, environmental conditions are changing. The Arctic is warming at a rate twice as fast as the global average and as a result, sea ice is melting rapidly. Scientists are racing to learn more about the changing Arctic climate system with some ecologists investigating the question, "How might the decline in sea ice affect Arctic organisms large and small?" Photo credit: Lianna Nixon