as below

Writing Assignment #2

Overview: California has been experiencing a multi-year drought, and Chico is not an exception. Given that

Chico receives much of its precipitation during the winter months, any additional precipitation

above normal during the winter months is clearly helpful to remediate the drought. Over the

water year of 2015-16 (October 2015 through September 2016), we experienced a strong El Niño

event. El Niño alters weather events worldwide, and generally leads to a greater frequency and

intensity of rain events in California.

In this assignment, you describe the climate for Chico (and California) and compare what

was likely to have happened with what actually happened for the last winter (the winter of

2015-16) with the data provided (figures 1 through 3). You will refer to these figures to support

your arguments (instructions 2 through 4 below). If you use any information from external

sources, you must cite that information.

Turn in:

Submit the paper via a Turnitin link on Blackboard. Make sure that your paper adheres to the

following paper-formatting requirements:

 two-page maximum (only the first two pages of text will be considered for points)

 12-point font size

 double-spaced line spacing

 Times New Roman font

 one-inch margins

 subheader for each section (much like these instructions)

Again, do not exceed the two-page limit. If your paper is longer than two pages, you need to edit

out filler and repeated statements. Be concise.

Instructions:

Review the attached rubric to understand what must be included and what we are looking for.

Your paper must have five distinct sections as specified below:

1. Introduction – what is this paper about? How will you accomplish your task? You

should clearly state a thesis statement in this paragraph, followed by brief/concise

descriptions of how your paper is organized.

2. Describe the precipitation pattern and distribution for Chico (see Figure 1). Make sure to

briefly summarize the Mediterranean climate in this paragraph with a focus on its unique

precipitation pattern. Associate this climate to Chico’s precipitation pattern.

3. El Niño is known to affect California’s winter precipitation. Describe what is likely to

happen to California’s precipitation during the winter if there is a strong El Niño event

(see Figure 2).

4. One of the strongest El Niño events on record has ended. In general, how is California’s

precipitation (difference from average in Figure 3) correlated to strong El Niño events?

Did we have an amount of precipitation that is unique to a strong El Niño winter?

Compare and contrast this past winter’s (2015-16) precipitation amount to other winters

when strong El Niño events took place. Note: the years of 1982-83 and 1997-98 are

strong El Niño years (see Figure 3).

5. Conclusion. Briefly summarize the main points of your paper. Do not introduce new

items and repeat your findings in length here.

Tips:

 Be concise. Get to the point. This is technical writing, not story time.

 Be confident about the data. Report what the data is showing in specific terms.

 All claims/conclusive statements must be supported with data that is specifically stated in

the text. Unsupported statements are useless.

Writing Assignment 2 Readinesss Quiz (5 points)

You are going to take a Writing Assignment 2 Readiness Quiz. This readiness quiz tests your

understanding of the datasets provided in this Writing Assignment. By taking this readiness quiz

first before start writing, you will already have an understanding of the datasets you are writing

about.

Figure 1: Climograph for Chico, CA

Source: https://weather.com/weather/monthly/l/USCA0211:1:U

12.4 11.6

10.9

4.5

2.7

1.3

0.1 0.2 1.1

3.6

8.3

11.8

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

P re

c ip

it a ti o n (

c m

)

T e m

p e ra

tu re

( °C

)

Month

Precip Temp

Figure 2: El Niño impact on winter rain days

Source: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/enso/october-2015-el-niño-update-pumpkin-spice

Figure 3: California Precipitation and ENSO Status, Dec-Mar

Source: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/enso/long-arm-california-drought