Air temperature
What is air temperature?
Air temperature is simply how hot or cold the outside air is.
![A picture of a blue thermometer, used to measure air temperature.](https://www.watershedreports.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/DSC_0028-1024x959.jpg)
Why is air temperature important for water testing?
Measuring environmental variables, like temperature, helps us understand the context of our other observations.
What does a measurement mean?
It depends! You’ll only get to know the significance of these results if you test consistently over time. Find a great example of consistent water quality monitoring here.
Water Rangers Protocol
Make sure the thermometer is out of direct sunlight for at least 5 minutes. Do not hang the thermometer around your neck while measuring because the heat from your body will affect the reading. Pro Tip: hang your thermometer from a tree! That way it’s out of direct sunlight and away from your hot body.
Don’t have a thermometer yet? Thermometers are available for purchase at our online store.
Ready to start uploading your data? Visit our data platform.