Activity B:

Predict hurricanes Get the Gizmo ready:
• Select Experiment and click Pause ( ).

Question: How can you predict the location and path of a hurricane?

1. Observe: Click Play ( ), and wait until you see a hurricane approaching one of the weather stations. Click Pause. What changes indicate a hurricane is approaching?

Cloud cover: Air pressure:

Wind speed:

2. Observe: Click Play, and wait for the hurricane to go over the land. What happens in the hours after landfall?

3. Collect data: Click Reset ( ). Turn off Show hurricane. Click Play. When the simulation reads Day 1, 3:00 PM, click Pause and record the data from each weather station.

Station Wind speed (knots) Wind from Cloud cover Pressure (mb)
A
B
C

4. Interpret: Using the readings above, do you think a hurricane is nearby? Explain.





5. Run Gizmo: Allow the Gizmo to run until the weather station data indicates a hurricane is nearby and will soon make landfall. Click Pause.

A. What weather station data indicated a hurricane would soon make landfall?





B. Turn on Show hurricane. Was your prediction correct? Explain.



(Activity B continued on next page)

Activity B (continued from previous page)

6. Gather data: Turn off Show hurricane, and click Reset. Click Play. At 12:00 P. M. of day 1, click Pause. From the Tools menu, drag a pointer to the predicted position of the eye of the hurricane, and draw an arrow in the diagram below. Label this arrow “1.”

Turn on Show hurricane, and mark a circle where the actual eye is located. Label this circle “1.” Turn off Show hurricane, and then repeat this procedure every 12 hours to mark the predicted and actual path of the hurricane.

7. On your own: Practice predicting the current and future positions of hurricanes. From the Tools tray, drag an arrow to where you think the eye of the hurricane is located. Turn on Show hurricane to check your prediction. Click on Tools and select screenshot ( ). Right-click the image, and click “Copy Image.” Take snapshots of the predicted and actual positions of the hurricane.

Paste your snapshots into a black document. Label each snapshot. Turn in your hurricane tracking document with this worksheet.

8. Make connections: As warm, moist air rises, water vapor in the air condenses and releases a great deal of heat energy. This energy powers a hurricane. How does this information explain what happens to hurricanes after they make landfall?