Transcript Document
Share---what happened to this town? Tropical Cyclone Outer Banks Hurricanes: What does it look like? What Is a Hurricane? • A hurricane is a large, rotating tropical weather system with wind speeds of at least 74 mph • Hurricanes are the most powerful storms on Earth • In other countries they are also known as typhoons and cyclones What states they hit: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ prepare/ http://www.brainpop .com/science/weath er/hurricanes/ Cyclone, Hurricane, Typhoon… oh my Same type of storm, just form and occur in different oceans! Hurricane = Atlantic ocean, Eastern pacific including Hawaiian islands Typhoon = Western pacific Cyclone = Southern pacific and Indian ocean Check for understanding: What do we call our storm? Brainpop: Hurricane When do hurricane’s happen? Critical Thinking: What season do you think is Hurricane season in the US? (hint: think about warm waters or make a life-connection and think about when you have heard about them on the news!) • The Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. • Most hurricanes occur from around the middle of August through the middle of October Can anything stop these powerful storms? • Critical Thinking: Hurricanes depend on the tropical warm water and the evaporation in order to keep shape… so what do you think could stop them? As hurricanes travel over colder water or over land they lose their evaporation which causes them to weaken. Damage Caused by Hurricanes http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/ Hurricane winds can knock down trees and telephone poles However, the most damage during a hurricane comes from flooding due to heavy rain and storm surges A storm surge is a wall of water that builds up over the ocean and can be up to 20 feet before it crashes onto the shore Unequal Heating of Land and Water Lab • Research Question: If we measure the temperature of soil/sand and water when it is heated by radiation, which one will absorb and lose heat fastest? – Record and graph results Heating of Land • Land is heated when solar radiation (radiation from the sun) strikes the surface of the earth. • The amount of solar radiation that is absorbed by the earth’s surface is affected by two primary factors: latitude and the color of the land surface. – Latitude: distance from the equator – Color of the land surface • Dark colors absorb solar radiation while light colors reflect solar radiation Heating of Water • Water is heated by solar radiation from the sun in much the same way that land is heated. However, there is one very important difference between the heating of land and the heating of water. – Water has a higher specific heat than land or air Specific heat • The amount of energy required to change the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 Celsius. Specific Heat: Water • Since water has a higher specific heat than land, bodies of water remain at a constant temperature relative to the air above them. • Near the equator water is cold relative to the air and it therefore cools air masses. • At higher latitudes water is warm relative to the air and it therefore warms air masses. Affect on Climate • Coastal areas located near bodies of water typically have more mild summer and winters – Example: California • Inland areas (not near water) typically have more extreme winters and summers – Example: Illinois