Hurricane quiz
What was hurricane Pam
A disaster training exercise that took place a year before hurricane Katrina
Katrina first formed As a tropical wave of what continent
Africa
What meteorological instrument is most useful for determining temperature, pressure, winds and humidity inside of a hurricane
Dropsondes
Hurricanes in the northern hemisphere spin counterclockwise, the greatest wind and storm surge is on which side of the storm is strongest?
Eastern side
What Hazards can be created by hurricanes
Flooding, storm surge, wind damage, and tornadoes
What could help reduce the hazards of future hurricanes in New Orleans
Invert the bowl, restore coastal wetlands, build stronger levees
How does the tropical rain fall measuring mission TRMM improve hurricane measurements and forecasting
It is a satellite that allows scientists to see inside of hurricanes
Hurricane season in the Atlantic ocean occurs between which months
June and November
Where did hurricane Katrina strengthen to the strongest category
Over the Gulf of Mexico, because of the very high sea surface temperatures
New Orleans is below sea level, how does it remain dry?
Pumps, levees, floodwalls
Why was there a rescue for Katrina effort so difficult and lengthy?
Rescue could only be made by air or boats, there wasn't sufficient food, water and shelter, 75% of New Orleans was flooded, power and communication and systems were down, officials did not expect the levees to fail, many people did not evacuate
what weather instruments are used for hurricane forecasting
Satellite imagery, dropsondes, Doppler radar, ground weather instruments
Catastrophe from Hurricane Katrina was partly due to human actions which were
Social and economic situations, land-use issues,distinctions of wetlands, the development of Levees
Why were the levees undermined in New Orleans?
Soft soil under the levees failed and water pressure push the levees over.
Dropsondes Measure what?
Temperature, Wind speed and direction, relative humidity, GPS location, pressure
Which conditions are required for a hurricane to form in the Atlantic ocean
The Coriolis effect, warm atmospheric temperatures, a low-pressure called a tropical wave, warm ocean temperatures
What was the second flood after Katrina?
The breaching of the levees and canals.
Why are hurricanes uncommon on the equator
There is too little Coriolis effect there
Which of the following is true about wetlands around New Orleans
They are strengthened and replenished by inputs of sediments from rivers, the construction of levees has caused wetlands to be destroyed, wetland cypress trees act as a windbreak, they protect New Orleans from storm surges
Why don't all residents evacuate?
They don't have transportation, they choose to stay with family, critical employees are asked to stay, they don't think they need to.
Why was there so much damage in the lower ninth Ward in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina
Very high poverty in that area, the area was 4 feet below sea level and your Levee that failed, resident often lack transportation and emergency shelters.
Why does rising sea surface temperatures cause hurricanes to be stronger?
Warm oceans are this energy source for hurricanes
What technology has improved hurricane forecasting
Weather satellites, hurricane hunters, powerful computers
What does the Saffir-Simpson scale used to clarify hurricanes
Wind speed
Bermuda high
a huge high-pressure air mass that often forms over the Atlantic
Tropical depression
a storm near the equator with winds moving in a circle at speeds of up to 38 miles per hour