Hurricane Katrina Case Study
1. The red color on the map indicates relatively high Sea Surface Temperature, a range from 27 degrees Celsius to 28 degrees Celsius, and also indicates the presence of warm currents. The temperatures show that that oceanic area is prone to hurricanes. The average temperature seems to be about 25.4 degrees Celsius because it is the middle of the range for the color gradient given with the map.
2. As the color turns from blue to white to red to yellow, as the wavelength gets longer, the SST increases. Generally, in typical summer months, the area around the equator has higher SST around 27 degrees Celsius and higher. As one starts to move towards the pole, the Sea Surface Temperature decreases, shown by the white and blueish colors.
3. The …show more content…
The warm waters heat the air above the ocean which leads to a drop in the air pressure. The air pressure than causes high intensity winds. Because of the occurrence, there is more water vapor in the storm, making it stronger.
9. It took approximately 12 hours for Hurricane Katrina to be labeled as a category 3 hurricane. It then took 3 hours for it to transition from a category 3 to a category 4 hurricane. It also took 3 hours for Hurricane Katrina to transition from a category 4 hurricane to a category 5 hurricane.
10. The relationship between Sea Surface Temperature and Hurricane intensity is direct. As the SST increases, so does a hurricane’s intensity. An example of this is Hurricane Katrina. As Katrina traveled into the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico, its power and damage grew until it was labeled a category 5 hurricane. This is because the warm waters of the ocean reduce the air pressure, leading to stronger winds, producing more water vapor, causing conviction, which in turn intensifies a hurricane.
11. An inference as to why Hurricane Katrina was downgraded was probably due to its passing over Florida. Because of this, the hurricane lost the warm water that was providing it power, and encountered dry land, which reduced its
2. As the color turns from blue to white to red to yellow, as the wavelength gets longer, the SST increases. Generally, in typical summer months, the area around the equator has higher SST around 27 degrees Celsius and higher. As one starts to move towards the pole, the Sea Surface Temperature decreases, shown by the white and blueish colors.
3. The …show more content…
The warm waters heat the air above the ocean which leads to a drop in the air pressure. The air pressure than causes high intensity winds. Because of the occurrence, there is more water vapor in the storm, making it stronger.
9. It took approximately 12 hours for Hurricane Katrina to be labeled as a category 3 hurricane. It then took 3 hours for it to transition from a category 3 to a category 4 hurricane. It also took 3 hours for Hurricane Katrina to transition from a category 4 hurricane to a category 5 hurricane.
10. The relationship between Sea Surface Temperature and Hurricane intensity is direct. As the SST increases, so does a hurricane’s intensity. An example of this is Hurricane Katrina. As Katrina traveled into the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico, its power and damage grew until it was labeled a category 5 hurricane. This is because the warm waters of the ocean reduce the air pressure, leading to stronger winds, producing more water vapor, causing conviction, which in turn intensifies a hurricane.
11. An inference as to why Hurricane Katrina was downgraded was probably due to its passing over Florida. Because of this, the hurricane lost the warm water that was providing it power, and encountered dry land, which reduced its