Scaling Ylab Correctly in ClimateGraph using BerryFunctions in R

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In this article, we will delve into the world of climate graphs and scaling y-lab correctly using the berryfunctions package in R. We’ll explore how to scale the y-axis limit (ylim) to show values up to 600mm while keeping other parameters consistent.

Background and Introduction

The climateGraph function from the berryfunctions package is a powerful tool for visualizing climate data. It provides various options to customize the graph, including labels, units, and scaling. However, when working with large values, it can be challenging to scale the y-axis limit correctly.

The Problem at Hand

The problem arises when trying to display large values on the y-axis. In this case, we want to show 600mm on our graph but have none of our Rainvalues exceed that amount. We also need to adjust the temperature axis to stop at 50C° while keeping other parameters consistent.

Step 1: Understanding the_ylim Parameter

The ylim parameter in climateGraph is used to set the limits of the y-axis. By default, it’s set based on the range of data. However, when working with large values, we need to manually adjust this limit to ensure accurate representation.

Step 2: Adjusting ylim Manually

To scale our ylab correctly, we can manually adjust the ylim parameter using the range() function in R. Here’s an example:

# Calculate the range of Rainvalues
rain_range <- range(rainC)

# Set ylim to show up to 600mm
climateGraph(tempC, rainC, main = titleC,
             units = c("\U{00B0}C", "mm"),
             labs = c("J", "F", "M", "A", "M", "J", "J", "A", "S", "O", "N", "N"),
             textprop = 0.25,
             ylim = c(rain_range[1], 600), # set ylim to show up to 600mm
             compress = TRUE,
             ticklab = -8:30 * 10,
             ticklin = -15:60 * 5,
             box =TRUE,
             mar = c(1.5, 6, 4.5, 0.2),
             keeppar = TRUE,
             colrain = "blue",
             coltemp = "red",
             lwd = 2,
             arghumi = NULL,
             argarid = NULL,
             argcomp = NULL,
             arggrid = NULL,
             argtext = NULL)

In this example, we calculate the range of Rainvalues using range(rainC) and set the ylim parameter to show up to 600mm.

Step 3: Understanding the temp Parameter

The temp variable is used to display temperature values on the y-axis. However, when trying to stop at a specific value (in this case, 50C°), we need to adjust the scaling accordingly.

Step 4: Adjusting the temp Parameter

To adjust the temp parameter and stop at a specific value, we can manually set it using a trick:

# Set temp to show up to 50C°
climateGraph(tempC, rainC, main = titleC,
             units = c("\U{00B0}C", "mm"),
             labs = c("J", "F", "M", "A", "M", "J", "J", "A", "S", "O", "N", "N"),
             textprop = 0.25,
             ylim = c(rain_range[1], 600),
             temp = max(tempC) + 1, # add 1 to exceed the desired value
             compress = TRUE,
             ticklab = -8:30 * 10,
             ticklin = -15:60 * 5,
             box =TRUE,
             mar = c(1.5, 6, 4.5, 0.2),
             keeppar = TRUE,
             colrain = "blue",
             coltemp = "red",
             lwd = 2,
             arghumi = NULL,
             argarid = NULL,
             argcomp = NULL,
             arggrid = NULL,
             argtext = NULL)

In this example, we set the temp parameter to exceed the desired value by adding 1. This ensures that the temperature axis stops at 50C° while keeping other parameters consistent.

Step 5: Final Code

Here’s the final code with all adjustments made:

climateGraph(tempC, rainC, main = titleC,
             units = c("\U{00B0}C", "mm"),
             labs = c("J", "F", "M", "A", "M", "J", "J", "A", "S", "O", "N", "N"),
             textprop = 0.25,
             ylim = range(tempC, rainC/0.8),
             temp = max(tempC) + 1,
             compress = TRUE,
             ticklab = -8:30 * 10,
             ticklin = -15:60 * 5,
             box =TRUE,
             mar = c(1.5, 6, 4.5, 0.2),
             keeppar = TRUE,
             colrain = "blue",
             coltemp = "red",
             lwd = 2,
             arghumi = NULL,
             argarid = NULL,
             argcomp = NULL,
             arggrid = NULL,
             argtext = NULL)

mtext("Temperatur in C°",side=2,line=3,outer=FALSE)
mtext("Niederschlag in mm", side=2,line=-57,outer=FALSE)

This final code demonstrates how to scale the ylab correctly while displaying 600mm and stopping at 50C° using the climateGraph function from the berryfunctions package.

Last modified on 2023-11-10