Tornadoes: The Science behind the Destruction.

Roy Gosnell

5/23/14

Earth Science Even

Mrs. McClellan

Current Event

Citation:

Howard, Brian Clark. "Tornadoes: The Science Behind the Destruction." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 20 May 2014. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/04/140430-tornadoes-meteorology-atmospheric-science-disasters/>.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Dangerous storms: Hurricanes peaking further north, typhoons further south, than in past." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 May 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140514133432.htm>.

Tornadoes: The Science behind the Destruction

Summary:

            Our world is full of mysteries and unanswered questions, especially about nature. Of these mysteries, tornadoes are truly one of the most mystifying and unpredictable features of Earth. Recent atmospheric scientists aim to examine the basis of this deadly force. A tornado, also known as a twister, is defined as a violently rotating column of air that extends between the ground and atmosphere. Meteorologist Harold Brooks from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) states that the common tornado can last only a few minutes. They also can reach wind speeds of less than 110 miles (177 kilometers) per hour. Larger tornadoes however, can last over half an hour, and have enough energy, wind speed of over 300 miles per hour, to devastate cities and towns. A recent report from NOAA states that on average, as many as 60 people are killed by tornadoes in the United States alone. Tornadoes form from something called a supercell thunderstorm, or a storm with many deep rotating updrafts .The main influence on its formation are the many strong wind changes and high relative humidity. There are several stages involved in the formation of a tornado. Fast moving wind parallel to the surface creates a vortex of wind. Warmed by the sun, a section of air near the ground is uplifted, and soon becomes the eye of the storm. Depending on size and strength, the mesocyclone, the center rotating air mass within the storm, will continue to grow, causing both a warm updraft, and a cool downdraft. The tornado itself is the vortices that touch the ground, and flow into the mesocyclone through a wall cloud. Even with this information, “we still don’t know why some thunderstorms create tornadoes while others don’t,” says tornado hunter Tim Samaras. Furthermore, the specifics of how tornadoes eventually die are not entirely understood as well. The flow of air will in time subside, but specific details are unknown.

Tornadoes occur constantly across the world, yet the most frequent location for tornados are a region known as “Tornado Alley.” This area includes Kansas, Nebraska, regions in the Dakotas, and also parts of Texas. Measuring and categorizing tornadoes, like earthquakes, is hard because they come from such a wide variety of locations and atmospheres. They are often measured by the Fujita scale, F0 being small, and F5 being strong, so scientists typically rely on damage of the storm to estimate its strength and velocities. Tornados are unpredictable and often form quickly. This means that they are all the more dangerous and erratic, and so constant studies and tests must be taken to protect people from these hazards. In an attempt to predict future tornadoes, National Severe Weather Laboratory’s Warn-on-Forecast research project hopes to develop better ways of forecasting.

The science behind how some of the worlds most dangerous phenomenon, including tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquakes, are studied worldwide and are considered some of the most interesting aspects of earth science. I believe that without a doubt dangerous hazards like tornadoes are one of Earth’s many mysteries, and so it will be studied far into the future, especially since there are still unanswered questions.

Relevance:

            Tornadoes can form anytime, and anywhere. They have been observed on every continent except Antarctica, and yet we still have trouble predicting when they will occur. Our society consistently creates new and innovative technology that is crucial to avoiding severe weather like a tornado. It is very important that we continue to study the pattern and direction of tornadoes, so that we can better prepare ourselves in the future. The article briefly talks about this movement of tornadoes, however they have yet to find definitive answers. Results from a further study of tropical storm movement, such as cyclones and hurricanes published by the journal Nature, show that over the past 30 years, these storms have been moving farther away from the equator, and closer to the poles. These storms are powerful and destructive, so if we were able to determine the same information for tornadoes, then we would be able to further avoid other kinds of these harsh storms. By further expanding our understanding of tornadoes and other natural disasters, we will also learn more about how we can prevent them from damaging our society, thus saving many lives.

Critique:           

I found this article to be very interesting and informative. Normally people tend to either get bored or lose interest when reading an article like this, but I think that because of the videos and pictures, which provided detailed stage by stage development of tornadoes, the article was able to make the readers truly interested, and thinking about the topic. I also found it interesting to learn that these atmospheric scientists, like Harold Brooks, are able to provide so much information about tornadoes because of their dedication to finding answers. Tornado chasing is dangerous and a huge risk, but also allows for people to see first hand how powerful a tornado really is. I believe that even though the article offered detailed evidence and strong points, it lacked results. This is partially due to the fact that tornadoes are erratic and violent. However it surprises me that even though tornadoes kill an average of 60 Americans a year, there is still no positive way to avoid them. I find it encouraging that the NSSL, National Severe Storms Laboratory, is working to find a way to model storms that could form tornadoes, through computer programs, to better understand how they develop. Furthermore, I would have liked to see how tornadoes compare to hurricanes and other kinds of storms, because before I read this article, I did not know the difference.  Also, I thought that the article would have improved by adding a better conclusion about why understanding tornadoes is important, and how they influence society. Many people are unaware that tornadoes are one of nature’s most violent storms, and can easily wreck towns, and cause serious fatalities. Some people believe that nature is unimportant and not something to worry about. Yet everyday around the world our environment influences the way we live our lives. Overall, I enjoyed learning more about something as interesting as a tornado, and when more information is found, I would like to read about that as well.