A1. Swinging in a hammock in your backyard on a warm, humid Saturday afternoon in late spring, you observe a towering cumulonimbus cloud building in the sky not more than a couple of miles from your home. Fifteen minutes later, you hear thunder, and a minute after that, experience a strong gust of wind, the smell of dirt, and a significant temperature drop. After another minute, you are out of the hammock and running into your house as a heavy downpour of rain begins. Synthesize and apply related concepts from Module 8 regarding thunderstorm structure, characteristics, and stages of development, to explain the reasoning behind each aspect of the experience described in the scenario.
B1. Suppose that you are a United States Air Force pilot attached to a squadron based near the coast of Florida’s panhandle, which runs east-west along the Gulf of Mexico. Your friend is a pilot attached to another squadron based on the panhandle located 25 miles east of your squadron’s base. The center of a northward-moving hurricane with a 23 mile-wide eye is forecast to make landfall exactly halfway between the two bases (It may help to make a sketch of the scenario.). Qualitatively (i.e., with descriptive words, not numerical values) describe the differences between the wind direction, wind speed, and storm surge that the coastline near your squadron’s base will experience versus that of your friend’s when the hurricane makes landfall. Synthesize and apply related concepts from Module 9 regarding hurricane structure and characteristics to support your answers.
