Tornadoes *
*Note: This is an abbreviated Project Idea, without notes to start your background research, a specific list of materials, or a procedure for how to do the experiment. You can identify abbreviated Project Ideas by the asterisk at the end of the title. If you want a Project Idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk.
Abstract
Tornadoes are a very destructive weather phenomenon that is very hard to predict. Certain weather conditions can indicate if a tornado is likely to occur, but the path that the tornado will take is completeley unpredictable. Storm chasers are people who chase tornadoes and try to capture them on film or video. They often have a sense of predicting where and when a tornado will strike, but the best images are also due to a bit of luck and survival instinct. Even though tornadoes are unpredictable, there are some trends you can investigate. Is there a tornado season? Is there a regional distribution of tornado activity? Where are the tornado hot-spots? You can make your own tornado in a bottle, to test the effect of two temperatures coming together to form a tornado. You can also investigate dirt devils, which are tiny tornadoes that occur on flat, dusty and dry desert soils. (NCAR, 2006; NOAA, 2006; Weather Underground, 2006; WMO, 2006)Share your story with Science Buddies!
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Last edit date: 2013-01-10
Bibliography
- NCAR, 2006. "NCAR Science and Education Outreach Page," National Center for Atmospheric Research. [accessed: 3/1/2006]
http://eo.ucar.edu/. - NOAA, 2006. "NOAA Homepage," National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. [accessed: 3/1/2006] http://www.noaa.gov/.
- The Weather Underground, Inc, 2005. "The Weather Underground," Ann Arbor, MI. [accessed: 12/13/05] http://www.wunderground.com/.
- WMO, 2006. "World Meteorological Organization," WMO, United Nations. [accessed: 3/1/2006] http://www.wmo.ch/index-en.html.
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