Hurricanes
Reagan W. & Priya P.
Hurricane Rita Aftermath
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Rita was a stage 5 hurricane and had winds that went up to 180 mph. The hurricane formed on September 18th and was totally done on September 26th. This hurricane was a huge devastation and impacted many people's lives.
Background info about Hurricanes
Where do Hurricanes form?
Hurricanes happen in these general 6 areas the most, the East Pacific Ocean, West Pacific Ocean, North Atlantic, Southwestern Pacific, North Indian Ocean, and the South Indian Ocean.
2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season
In 2005 there was 14 hurricanes and 27 named storms. 2 tropical storms hit in June 2005. One named Tropical Storm Arlene & the other one named Tropical Storm Bret. This was the 13th time since 1851 that two tropical storms hit in June. In August 2005 we saw the development of one of the biggest hurricane, Hurricane Katrina. This storm caused more then 1,300 deaths and likely cost 100 billion dollars. That being by far the highest cost of any hurricane in history. 2005 was a remarkable and devastating year and everyone will remember all the devastation that hit in 2005.
How are Hurricanes Categorized?
Based on maximum wind speeds and storm surge, a hurricane scale was created, which ranges from Category One to Category 5. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale was created to monitor and categorize the intensities of hurricanes,cyclones,and typhoons.
Purpose
To examine authentic sea surface temperature data to explore how hurricanes extract heat energy from the ocean surface.
What other Effects on SST may be Occuring?
The time of the year is a big factor to SST. If the water is warmer than the that is a better chance that their will be a hurricane. So again, it totally depends on what time of the year it is.
Explain the effect on the temperature in your line plot after the hurricane passed?
During the beginning of the hurricane it was pretty warm and near the end of the hurricane the temperature dropped significantly. Now as for after the hurricane occurred the weather got warmer but not as warm as the start of the hurricane.
How long did it take for the SST to return to the previous temperature?
In the plot that I was given it did not show that the temperature got to the previous temperature but as said in my first question it did get close to the previous temperature but not quite. I think if we would've tracked it for a few more days we would've clearly been able to see the exact date.
Is there evidence of a change in sea surface temperature (SST) in the data maps?
There is evidence because it shows that the surface area started off warm and then made it cold. Like in the map there was a lot of orange and that represents warm water but yen each day yellow started spreading everywhere meaning the Gulf of Mexico which represents cold water.
Describe the change between the hurricane passage and the effect on SST.
The change in the hurricane passage is that every time the hurricane moves to another location it's getting colder than before. So meaning where it left off it's cold water.
What conclusions can you make about how hurricanes extract heat energy from the ocean?
When the hurricane leaves the warm water is being pushed down to the bottom of the oceans then cold water is raised.