Earth Science: Geology, the Environment, and the UniverseUnit 4:
The Atmosphere and the OceansWebQuest Projects 1Hurricane Hunting: Flights into Danger and Discovery Introduction In this WebQuest, students conduct research into why and how hurricane hunters
use aircraft and special equipment to study hurricanes. They investigate conditions
inside hurricanes, and learn how hurricanes are classified based on their intensity
and potential to do damage. Students learn how hurricane hunters collect data
while flying through a hurricane , and examine how this data is used to increase
the accuracy of forecasts made by meteorologists about the path and intensity
of a storm. Students answer a series of questions based on their research, focusing
on the important job performed by pilots and crew members who fly hurricane
reconnaissance missions on a regular basis. Task
Students will answer eight questions which will help guide them through their
Internet research. Each Web site has some of the answers, but none of the Web
sites alone will address all of the questions. Students should be able to compile
information to answer the questions as they investigate each Web site. By researching the Web sites to find answers to the questions, students will
gain an understanding of the role played by hurricane hunters in forecasting
the path, potential to cause property damage or loss of life, and intensity
of a developing hurricane. They will learn how various instruments are used
to collect weather data. They will also develop an understanding of what it
is like to fly through a hurricane by reading personal accounts and quotes from
hurricane hunters. Students will use the information they gather to create a
scrapbook which chronicles what it is like to be a hurricane hunter. Objectives - Explain why aircraft are used to gather information about weather conditions
inside of hurricanes.
- Describe the role played by hurricane hunters in making accurate forecasts
about the track and intensity of hurricanes.
- Identify specific weather information collected by instruments flown into
hurricanes aboard hurricane hunting aircraft.
- Give examples of the types of equipment used on hurricane hunting aircraft.
- Give examples of how aircraft are modified to fly through the study conditions
inside hurricanes.
- Differentiate between categories of the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Rating
Scale.
- Describe conditions inside of a hurricane, including weather conditions
in the eyewall as well as the eye of a storm.
- Describe what it is like, as a crew member on a hurricane hunting mission,
to fly through a hurricane.
- Design and create a scrapbook that illustrates what it is like to be a
hurricane hunter.
Resources
Students will use the Internet links provided to research the challenges faced
by pilots and crew who serve as hurricane hunters. They will learn about the
characteristics of hurricanes, as well as why the measurements crew members
make are so important in producing accurate forecasts of the path and intensity
of hurricanes. They will discover the identity and motivation of the first person
to intentionally fly through a hurricane, and compare his motivation to that
of those who pilot hurricane hunting aircraft today. They will identify the
types of equipment used by crew members, as well as the specific atmospheric
measurements made. Students will also describe what it is like to fly into the
calm, clear eye of a hurricane from the stormy eyewall surrounding it. The resources provided will enable students to design and create a scrapbook
that chronicles what it is like to be a hurricane hunter. The scrapbook will
use diagrams, photographs, quotes, and personal anecdotes to demonstrate the
unique nature of this fascinating job. Time 1-2 weeks to answer the question set and design and produce the scrapbook. Process
As students conduct research by investigating the Web sites provided, help
them focus on the information in the questions. This will provide students a
sense of direction as they approach each site. Remind students that they will
use the information they are gathering to create a scrapbook which should have
visual appeal while presenting key information about the job of a hurricane
hunter and the challenges faced in this vocation. As students conduct research,
remind them to catalog any images they would like to include, as well as the
specific information they would like to present on each page of the scrapbook.
Give students examples of ways to give credit for any quotes, anecdotes, images,
or photographs they use. For example, credit can be given on a particular scrapbook
page, or compiled on a single page at the end of the book. Students should understand,
however, the importance of giving credit for any information they use while
creating the final product. As students conduct research, encourage them to develop a skeletal outline
for the scrapbook. What information should come first? What is a logical order
in which to present information about hurricanes and hurricane hunting? Be available to provide guidance and answer questions as students design and
create their scrapbooks. Students should include as much of the suggested information
as possible. The finished product should be visually appealing, including clearly
labeled photographs or other graphic displays, as well as concise and descriptive
written material. Have students review the rubric. Make sure they understand how the final product
will be evaluated. If time permits, allow students to share their scrapbooks in pairs or small
groups of classmates. Encourage students to share their scrapbooks with school
staff and family members. Selected books could be added to existing career information
in the school Guidance Department. Evaluation You may assign ten points to each of the eight questions for a total of 80
possible points. The answers to the questions are given below. Rate the
answer to each question using the following scale: Excellent – 9-10 points;
Very Good – 7-8 points; Good – 5-6 points; Satisfactory –
3-4 points; Poor – 1-2 points; and Unsatisfactory – 0 points. Answers to Questions About Hurricanes and Hurricane Hunters - While information provided by satellites is crucial in hurricane forecasting,
satellite imagery cannot give forecasters all the data they need to accurately
predict when and where a storm will make landfall, nor how intense it will
be when it comes ashore. Some information, like surface pressure, cannot be
detected by satellite. In addition, airplanes can find the precise center
of a hurricane, which may be different than it appears on a satellite image.
Millions of dollars can be spent preparing property to weather a hurricane
and evacuating people from the storm’s path. The financial and human
cost of making accurate, credible forecasts is high. A combination of data
collected by satellite and aircraft provides the best possible picture of
how a hurricane is developing.
- On July 27, 1943, Colonel Joseph Duckworth was the first pilot to intentionally
fly an aircraft into a hurricane. Colonel Duckworth was teaching a group of
British pilots training in the United States during World War II how to fly
planes in conditions of poor visibility using instruments rather than visual
cues. As a hurricane approached, the pilots teased Duckworth when special
preparations were made to protect his aircraft. To silence their teasing,
and to prove the durability of the aircraft, Colonel Duckworth successfully
made the first recorded flight directly into a hurricane.
- There are two groups of hurricane hunters who are responsible for relaying
information to the National Hurricane Center. One group makes up the National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association Corps. At roughly 300 individuals
stationed in Florida, this is the nation’s smallest uniformed service.
The other group is the Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance
Squadron, based on Mississippi.
- Hurricane hunters gather information including temperature, dewpoint, barometric
pressure, humidity, and wind speed, as well as data about electrical fields
and other properties of clouds. GPS dropsondes connect this information to
a specific position. Other instruments used by hurricane hunters include Doppler
radar, precipitation probes, cloud particle probes, barometers, sea surface
and air temperature radiometers, and hygrometers.
- A dropsonde is a canister that contains a variety of weather-sensing and
directional equipment. One crew member is responsible for periodically releasing
dropsondes from the plane. Carried by parachute, they fall to the sea surface,
collecting and radioing back to the aircraft the exact position from which
temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and wind speed measurements are
taken. These instruments allow hurricane hunters to match data with a specific
GPS (Global Positioning System) location, and allow data collection at many
altitudes and locations within a storm.
- The Saffir Simpson Hurricane Rating Scale ranks hurricanes in five categories
based primarily on wind speed. The scale is used to estimate potential property
damage and flooding which could occur in coastal areas when a storm makes
landfall. Category One hurricanes have wind speeds from 74 to 95 miles per
hour (119 to153 kilometers per hour). No real damage to structures is done
by these storms. Category Two hurricanes have wind speeds from 96 to 110 miles
per hour (154 to 177 kilometers per hour). The roofs, doors, and windows of
buildings can be damaged, while considerable damage is typically done to plants,
mobile homes, signs, and piers. Category Three hurricanes have wind speeds
from 111 to 130 miles per hour (178 to 209 kilometers per hour). Leaves are
blown off of trees, and large trees can be blown down. Mobile homes and poorly
constructed signs are typically destroyed, and well-built structures near
the coast can suffer damage from battering by storm debris. Evacuation within
several blocks of the shoreline may be required. Category Four hurricanes
have wind speeds from 131 to 155 miles per hour (210 to 249 kilometers per
hour). Roofs can be blown off, and shrubs, trees, and all signs are blown
down. Mobile homes are destroyed, and doors and windows on other structures
can suffer extreme damage. Major damage is typically done to the lower floors
of structures near the shore. Evacuation as far as six miles (10 kilometers)
inland may be required. A Category Five hurricane has wind speeds greater
than 155 miles per hour (249 kilometers per hour). Roofs are blown off of
many structures, and some buildings fail completely. All shrubs, trees, and
signs are blown down, and mobile homes are destroyed. There is typically major
damage to all structures along the shoreline, and evacuations as far as 5
to 10 miles (8 – 16 kilometers) inland may be required.
- Answers will vary. Descriptions may include high winds, thick cloud cover,
blinding rainfall, intense lightning, and deafening noise as the plane moves
through the eyewall, or ring of strong thunderstorms surrounding the eye of
the storm. The plane experiences extreme turbulence, freefall drops, and violent
upswings as it encounters unstable air around the storm center. Once inside
the eye, the weather becomes calm and clear. Winds die down, rain stops, and
skies clear.
- Between 1952 and 1974, four flights crashed during hurricane reconnaissance
missions. 36 people on board these flights were killed.
Evaluating the Scrapbook Assess each student’s scrapbook using the evaluation rubric or some other
tool. Evaluation of the scrapbook should include both self-assessment and teacher
assessment. Conclusion
Based on their Internet research, students should be able to answer questions
about hurricanes and how hurricane hunters gather information about conditions
inside them. Students should be able to identify instruments used on hurricane
reconnaissance aircraft, and describe the types of atmospheric data collected.
They should be able to differentiate between hurricane categories within the
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Rating Scale, and should be able to describe a typical
hurricane reconnaissance mission. After completing their research, students
should apply their knowledge to create a scrapbook which chronicles the job
of a hurricane hunter.
Hurricane Hunter Scrapbook Rubric Scrapbook
Rubric | Points Possible | Self-Assessment | Teacher Assessment | The pages of the
book flow well from one topic to another and the book is easy to follow.
| 10
| | |
The scrapbook includes diagrams and photographs which provide visual interest.
| 10
| | | The scrapbook
gives interesting quotes and anecdotes which describe the job of a hurricane
hunter. | 10 | | | The scrapbook
clearly describes what it is like to fly a hurricane reconnaissance mission. | 10
| | | Information in
the scrapbook is well organized and clearly presented, and sources are properly
credited. | 10
| | |
Rate each category according to the following scale:
Excellent – 9-10 points; Very Good – 7-8 points; Good – 5-6
points; Satisfactory – 3-4 points; Poor – 1-2 points; and Unsatisfactory
– 0 points. | |