Module 8 Meteorology and Tornadoes
Meteorology, the study of the atmosphere, has been in place from the time when Aristotle wrote his book Meteorologica in 340 BC. Modern meteorology, which took a more analytical approach, began in the early nineteenth century. At that time, meteorologists were armed with devices such as barometers, thermometers, and hygrometers. Though, at the time, they didn’t have a full understanding of their importance and usefulness, they used the tools to record the changes in the troposphere. “As John Herschel, the most celebrated British scientist of his generation, contended, even if a person could not follow the details of a mathematical demonstration, verified predictions could still lead to the conviction that …show more content…
149). Partly due to the ability to grasp and verify concepts, the popularity of the study of the troposphere gained momentum. The troposphere, or the lowest level of the Earth’s atmosphere, is where weather takes place. Long term trends of the weather were documented and compiled to define what is now known as climate. In addition to newly acquired ability to understand climate, advancements in accuracy of weather forecasting was made. Just as it was then, today weather is a considerable concern to humans. The inability to control it has led us to try to prepare for it by making attempts to measure it, compare it, and predict it for the past hundreds of years. We have learned that tropospheric instability often times yields severe weather, such as tornadoes. Today’s meteorological tool kit includes sophisticated computer models, advanced observing systems, and a new understanding of the physics that underlie in various types of weather. Despite advancements in the forecasting and early warning systems, vulnerabilities still hamper the ability to save lives from …show more content…
With this data, meteorologists have realized that the climate and geographic aspects of the area make specific locations more likely to produce tornadic activity. As meteorologists work to understand the exact recipe for tornado creation, they make specific inquiries into climates. An example of this was in 2001 when sever tornadoes plagued the Caribbean coast of Columbia. Historically, the area had not had reports of tornadoes. Meteorologists dug in to all aspects in order to understand the new occurrences. “A climatology review of the area during the last 40 years was performed to establish tendencies in the time series of available meteorological variables (temperature, wind, magnitude, and relative humidity)” (Ortiz-royero & Rosales, 2012, p. 1817). The researchers found that based on the climate changes that have occurred over the years, they now have conditions that are favorable for tornadoes and as a result have adopted a tornado season much like the United States forecasts. (Ortiz-royero & Rosales, 2012). In addition to climate, geographic factors can increase the risk of tornados in a given area. A location such as the United States’ Tornado Alley received its name because of its geographic position. The location, which is situated between the Gulf of Mexico and the border of Canada, is the culminating
Meteorology, the study of the atmosphere, has been in place from the time when Aristotle wrote his book Meteorologica in 340 BC. Modern meteorology, which took a more analytical approach, began in the early nineteenth century. At that time, meteorologists were armed with devices such as barometers, thermometers, and hygrometers. Though, at the time, they didn’t have a full understanding of their importance and usefulness, they used the tools to record the changes in the troposphere. “As John Herschel, the most celebrated British scientist of his generation, contended, even if a person could not follow the details of a mathematical demonstration, verified predictions could still lead to the conviction that …show more content…
149). Partly due to the ability to grasp and verify concepts, the popularity of the study of the troposphere gained momentum. The troposphere, or the lowest level of the Earth’s atmosphere, is where weather takes place. Long term trends of the weather were documented and compiled to define what is now known as climate. In addition to newly acquired ability to understand climate, advancements in accuracy of weather forecasting was made. Just as it was then, today weather is a considerable concern to humans. The inability to control it has led us to try to prepare for it by making attempts to measure it, compare it, and predict it for the past hundreds of years. We have learned that tropospheric instability often times yields severe weather, such as tornadoes. Today’s meteorological tool kit includes sophisticated computer models, advanced observing systems, and a new understanding of the physics that underlie in various types of weather. Despite advancements in the forecasting and early warning systems, vulnerabilities still hamper the ability to save lives from …show more content…
With this data, meteorologists have realized that the climate and geographic aspects of the area make specific locations more likely to produce tornadic activity. As meteorologists work to understand the exact recipe for tornado creation, they make specific inquiries into climates. An example of this was in 2001 when sever tornadoes plagued the Caribbean coast of Columbia. Historically, the area had not had reports of tornadoes. Meteorologists dug in to all aspects in order to understand the new occurrences. “A climatology review of the area during the last 40 years was performed to establish tendencies in the time series of available meteorological variables (temperature, wind, magnitude, and relative humidity)” (Ortiz-royero & Rosales, 2012, p. 1817). The researchers found that based on the climate changes that have occurred over the years, they now have conditions that are favorable for tornadoes and as a result have adopted a tornado season much like the United States forecasts. (Ortiz-royero & Rosales, 2012). In addition to climate, geographic factors can increase the risk of tornados in a given area. A location such as the United States’ Tornado Alley received its name because of its geographic position. The location, which is situated between the Gulf of Mexico and the border of Canada, is the culminating