Science Topics: Deep Ocean Trenches 6/19//14 (not very well written though)

[96037 – Weasels on Easels]

Thanks you guys! Since I forgot to do April’s edition, I will do two this month. Seeing as I have a request, first I will do “Hurricanes and Typhoons” and then I will do either “Deep Sea Trenches” or “Ocean Currents: How they affect our planet.”

Coming up with titles is fun! Any preferences as to the oceans topic? I also thought of possibly doing the bermuda triangle. Most people don’t know that there actually ten or twelve and form a network along the ley lines. Ley lines would be a fun topic too..

edit: aaaarrrr! I had the whole thing typed out (two hours of resaeching and such) and then knock the mouse over and closed out the browser!!!arrrggg!

Recently married to the ever lovable BiPolarBear (little John)
www.weaselsoneasels.com | www.facebook.com/weaselsoneasels

As seen on This is Life with Lisa Ling on CNN (2018) !
Always open for pyo commissions, repairs and fine artwork! Email me for current prices! awier(@)weaselsoneasels.com

[twindragonsmum]

S has been fascinated with weather since forever – in fact, he’ll be studying meteorology at university starting in fall. Amazing stuff!

tdm 🙂

tdm

[96037 – Weasels on Easels]

sorry it is only half done, i got really tired, never realized how far into a topic you could go. Some really go far. Each one has more in depth than the last. this is fun. Have a good night, I’ll try to finish up tomarrow.

Recently married to the ever lovable BiPolarBear (little John)
www.weaselsoneasels.com | www.facebook.com/weaselsoneasels

As seen on This is Life with Lisa Ling on CNN (2018) !
Always open for pyo commissions, repairs and fine artwork! Email me for current prices! awier(@)weaselsoneasels.com

[96037 – Weasels on Easels]

Finally all done! Sorry for the delay!!

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Hurricanes, Cyclones and Typhoons

Today’s topic is hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons. When I think of a hurricane, I think back to when I was kid, sitting in front of the television with my family watching the 6:00 pm news. I remember hearing about the warnings as they came closer and closer to Florida and the gulf states. I grew up in Michigan so, as one would expect I had never(and still have yet to) gone through that kind of storm. The only reference I had ever had was to compare to out summer thunderstorms, only much worse. I would think of lighting and thunder, gusty winds and a lot of rain. But, as I know now, hurricanes are much more than that. So, what are hurricanes?

NOTE: The information in today’s topic was compiled from research and information found online from National Geographic, NOAA and the National Weather Service and is together with images and diagrams found via Google images. I have very basic, limited knowledge of this subject, so the majority of the information was researched. I will do my best to provide the information in an organized, easy to follow and easier to understand format. I apologize ahead of time for any typos. If I appear to have missed something or mixed anything up, please feel free to PM if it bugs you, and I can fix it. Thanks and Enjoy!

I consider my self lucky have a friend who is an ex-storm chaser that worked for NOAA, but he tracked tornadoes, not hurricanes. He always had some good stories to tell ya, but he moved back to WA last summer.

First, what is a Hurricane?
Hurricanes are giant, spiraling tropical storms that can pack wind speeds of over 160 miles (257 kilometers) an hour and unleash more than 2.4 trillion gallons (9 trillion liters) of rain a day. Hurricanes are highly destructive tropical storms with a rotating central point known as an “eye”. The storm pulls heat and moisture from the surface of the ocean to fuel the storm cell. Essentially, they are massive engines powered by heat that produce energy on staggering scale that it throws out until it has exhausted its fuel, usually once the hit a large land mass.

Now for some questions you may have and and some answers to them:

Why do we have hurricanes and what causes them?

We have hurricanes because during the summer, the Earth heats up unevenly. The equator becomes hotter than the North and South poles which creates a heat imbalance. Hurricanes are the result of nature’s attempt to balance itself.

How are hurricanes formed and what makes them grow?

Hurricanes form around a rotating center called the “eye” The center of the storm is the calmest part has only light winds and fair weather. The low level storm winds blow counterclockwise around the eye in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.

Hurricanes take a few thing to actually form. First they start as something call a tropical depression. As they gather strength, they change in class; first to a tropical storm and then into a hurricane. As the sun beats down on the ocean, it warms the water. Once the water hits a high enough temperature (around 80*F), it has created the base on which a storm can begin to form. The warmer the water is, the more water can evaporate and the faster it does so. This causes a rise in humidity and creates clouds. As winds created by the warm ocean waters collide, they force air upwards above the clouds. As air rises, it escapes outwards above the storm base pulling more air from the surface kind of like a vacuum. Lighter winds outside of the main storm steer the storm along and causes it rotate.

Can hurricanes cause other kinds of natural disasters?

Actually, yes! Hurricanes are huge storms! They can be up to 600 miles across and have strong winds spiraling inward and upward at speeds of 75 to 200 mph. Each hurricane lasts for over a week, moving 10-20 miles per hour over the open ocean. That is a lot of time to wreak some havoc, both in the atmosphere and on the surface. Hurricanes cause a variety of destructive forces. The first and a very well known is a storm surge. Hurricanes are also know to create flash flooding, mudslides, hail, and can even create tornadoes and water spouts.

Storm surges

A storm surge is an offshore rise of water created by strong, consistent winds blowing on the surface of water. As the rising water is forced into shallows, it gathers and is forced upward allowing it build up into a massive surge of ocean water. When this water hit shore, it very quickly spreads causing massive widespread flooding of the shore line.

Hurricane Katrina created a massive storm surge. New Orleans rests just below sea level and depended on levees, a natural or man-made narrow land masses or wall used to control the water level in a given area. Katrina’s storm surge was massive enough to break through the cities levees, quickly flooding and the city and standing many of it’s civilians.

Tornadoes and water spouts

Almost all hurricanes making landfall in the United States spawn at least one tornado, provided enough of the tropical cyclones circulation moves over land. Water spouts are not seen as often, but they are spotted on occasion.

From NOAA: “Tropical cyclones at landfall often provide the conditions necessary for tornado formation. As the tropical cyclone makes landfall and begins decaying, the winds at the surface die off quicker than the winds at, say, 850 mb (about 5000 ft). This sets up a fairly strong vertical wind shear that allows for the development of tornadoes, especially on the tropical cyclone’s right side (with respect to the forward motion of the tropical cyclone)”

More information on how hurricanes spawning tornadoes>
http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/FAQ/Hurricanes_vs_tornadoes.php

Flash floods and mudslides

Flash floods and mudslides can both be created from the extreme levels of rain dropped by a hurricane or tropical storm. Mudslides are often caused as flash floods force water into/under the surface of hills and such creating very wet mud and weak hallow points along the surface. As the water builds and the surface destabilizes, it is all swept away with the water.

Where are hurricanes found and how often do they occur?

Hurricanes are usually found in the tropical areas of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They occur in areas of light winds, high humidity, and warm sea surface temperatures. Though there is no specific amount of hurricanes found every year, areas that are affected by the weather phenomena are often classified to have a “hurricane season“. This is the time of year hurricanes are most likely to be formed. Areas can vary in hurricane activity each year, with some years having very few tropical storms and others have very many. Here are some general storm seasons:

Northeast Pacific
The area extending from Mexico to around the dateline is what makes up the Northeast Pacific basin. Hurricane season here is broad, extending from May 15 to October 30, with the storm activity peaking in late August and early September.

Northwest Pacific
Hurricane, or tropical cyclone, wind speeds can exceed 155 mph at their peak.
The Northwest Pacific basin reaches out from the dateline to Asia and includes the China Sea. This region has no official storm season because tropical cyclones occur year round. The fewest, however, occur in February or March; the most activity is seen in late August or early September.

North Indian
The North Indian basin includes the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal and has two season peaks. The most severe cyclones in this area are seen from April to June, and again from late September to early December.

Click here for more information: http://www.ehow.com/info_8540163_months-do-hurricanes-occur.html

How are hurricane classified? What makes them any different than any other oceanic storm?

Just like tornadoes, hurricanes are classified by the determination of wind speed. Once a tropical storm hits 74 mph, it is then classified as a hurricane. Hurricanes are classified on a scale called the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. The Saffir-Simpson scales classifies Hurricanes as a Category 1-5 by wind speed and damage factors.

More information on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php

Why are hurricanes named after people?
Ways to classify particular storm had has been greatly debated for most of the 20 th century. Early on they were often classified by intensity and geographic area where the storm was located. They gave them names such as Great Hurricane of 1722, the Galveston Storm of 1900, the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and the Big Blow of 1913.

During WWII, U.S. Air Force and Navy meteorologists tracking storms needed a better way to classify specific hurricanes while analyzing weather maps. Many began paying tribute to their wives and girlfriends back home by naming tropical cyclones after them. As this became a common norm, some feminist taught back one even say that “Women are not disasters, destroying life and communities and leaving a lasting and devastating effect.” leading to means names being cycled into the mix. One even went as far to say that male hurricanes should be called “him-icanes” dubbing that hurricane sounded like “her-icane”and that it was a sexist name, however that was never adopted into the system.

“In recent years, the lists of names, which are predetermined and rotate every six years, have been further diversified to reflect the many regions where tropical cyclones strike. Names of devastating storms with major loss of life and economic impact, such as Katrina in 2005 and Andrew in 1992, are permanently retired”

Full aticle: http://www.history.com/news/why-do-hurricanes-have-names

How do hurricanes affect nature? Do they have any positive effects?

Hurricanes cause much destruction to both man and nature. Flooding and high winds can destroy vast areas of forest and coast land, and flooding can very much change the depths and characteristics of wetland areas. This can cause much conflict in nature reserves.
Despite their devastating effects, tropical cyclones can also beneficial, by potentially bringing rain to dry areas and moving heat from the tropics pole-ward. Essentially this helps to regulate moisture and temperature in many different geographical climates.

http://biological-diversity.info/images/Articles/iris%20impact_sm.gif

How are we (mankind) affected by hurricanes?

Hurricanes have had much more of an impact to mankind in the past recent years as opposed to 50 – 100 years ago. Many scientists believe this is because of the growth of population as well more diverse and wide spread homes and cities. 95% of cities, towns etc(a rough estimate) are within 50 miles of a water source, many of these along coastal regions. As the population increases, so does our need for structures (houses, roads, buildings etc). Because of this hurricanes may appear to be much more destructive than they have in the past. With more people caught in the wake, the death and injury tolls rise, although the percentage may not as much. More buildings and city structures mean more opportunity for widespread damage.

By watching how humanity populates and spread, you may see how hurricanes can be much more impact in big cites as opposed to rural neighborhoods. That is not to say for realities purpose that they are any less dangerous or carry any less potential simply because of location. Hurricanes can be up to 600 miles across, but you don’t really hear about all those little farming communities and small little towns do you? Most of the focus becomes where the most people are and where the potential damage costs are higher.

While there has been debate over global warming and cooling and its effects on tropical weather phenomenon, no conclusive research has been brought to light. This subject can bring very complicated and heated debate, but it can be hard to decipher. Man has only been truly studying and tracking weather since the early 1900’s. With so little data as to the larger pictures, most of the basic understanding has been to track small scale patterns during this time, so it can be very difficult to understand how current conditions may impact future weather.

A bit of trivia: Here is a meteorology fact that you may not know. When you watch the weather, they give you a percent chance of precipitation, what they believe the cloud conditions may be and a high and a low temperature. They have all sorts of machines, but how do they get a percentage of chance? This actually calculated by looking at similar/identical atmospheric conditions in the past 50 or so years and counting how many may have had that weather and how many have not. That is you can have a day with partially cloudy or all sun, but still have a 10-15% chance of rain and what not. Intriguing, isn’t it?

Now back to the subject. Here are some images to show the kind of damage we often see from these big storms. These are a bit of the more extreme side of damage, but are still seen frequently with these types of storms:

Here a storm surge washes out a highway along a stretch of ocean side:

Here you can see a house than has suffered major damage at the head a storm bringing heavy winds and dangerous conditions. Note the sand blown inland from the beaches and shallow ocean beds.

Here a city suffers from the strain of flash flooding a few days after the storm has passed.

What can we do about them and what efforts are being made to support the public with awareness and aid?

Hurricanes definitely pose a great threat to the lives and property of those living within their ranges. Many lose their homes and loved ones may be separated from their families or lost at the wake of the storm. This time can be very turbulent and difficult for survivors to cope with. Because of this, there are many organizations both nationally and local that pull together and lend a welcoming hand to those in need. Many raise money to help rebuild the lives and homes of those victims. Others collect food, clothing and other goods to be handed out to those who need them. There are even those that offer temporary shelter or a free meal to those in need.

Outside of aid during and after, other efforts are being made to teach about the dangers of these storms. When storms are first spotted, they are tracked and monitored very closely so they can offer as early of a warning as possible about it’s size and predicted strength at land fall an the area that are at the highest risk of danger. Many groups offer classes about what do and how to protect themselves and their loves ones in the event they may be caught up in one. In very severe conditions, wide spread evacuations are used to try and help as many as possible to escape the dangers of these storms.

OK. So we know what a hurricane is now, but what does it have to do with cyclones and typhoons?

Actually, it has everything to do with hurricanes! Simply put, a cyclone and a typhoon are just name for hurricanes found in other areas of the world. These tropical occurrences are often refereed to as Tropical cyclones as a general reference as well.

So, to top it all off, here are some keyword definitions (with a tab bit more info) in case you missed them:

Cyclone
The term used to describe to hurricanes near the north/west/south of the Indian ocean. Often used to refer any type of tropical storm (ea. Tropical cyclone)

Eye-
The area of a storm where the atmospheric pressure at sea level is the lowest. The weather here is usually calm with a clear sky and very low winds. The entirety of the storm rotates around the eye.

Eye Wall-
A ring of towering thunderstorms surrounding the eye where the most severe weather occurs.

Flash Flood-
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas often brought on by heavy rains or sudden melt water from snow and ice fields.

Storm Surge- A storm surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system. They quickly flood and damage structures along the shoreline as the storm hits the coast.

Tropical Depression-
an atmospheric low-pressure system originating in the tropics, specifically, a tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained wind speed is 38 miles per hour (62 kilometers per hour) or less.

Tropical Storm-
A tropical storm is an organized system of strong thunderstorms with a defined surface circulation and maximum sustained winds between about 39 mph (63 km/h) and about 75 (119 km/h). At this point, the distinctive cyclonic shape starts to develop, although an eye is not usually present. Government weather services first assign names to systems that reach this intensity.

Typhoon-
A term use to describe a hurricane in the north/west pacific ocean.

Water Spout-
A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex (usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud) that occurs over a body of water.

hope you enjoyed my report! Thanks for reading!!

Recently married to the ever lovable BiPolarBear (little John)
www.weaselsoneasels.com | www.facebook.com/weaselsoneasels

As seen on This is Life with Lisa Ling on CNN (2018) !
Always open for pyo commissions, repairs and fine artwork! Email me for current prices! awier(@)weaselsoneasels.com

[96037 – Weasels on Easels]

Finally all done with this sorry I took forever! definitely the largest subject I have done so far!

Recently married to the ever lovable BiPolarBear (little John)
www.weaselsoneasels.com | www.facebook.com/weaselsoneasels

As seen on This is Life with Lisa Ling on CNN (2018) !
Always open for pyo commissions, repairs and fine artwork! Email me for current prices! awier(@)weaselsoneasels.com

[rock-reader]

Good job, 98037. Very interesting. Thank you

[96037 – Weasels on Easels]

Deep Ocean Trenches

This month’s topic is Deep Sea Trenches. The ocean covers 71 percent of the Earth’s surface and contains 97 percent of the planet’s water, yet more than 95 percent of the underwater world remains unexplored. There are five oceans in our world called the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific and Southern oceans. These oceans are home to some of the most vast and bio-diverse ecosystems on our planet. One of these very ecosystems is the trenches. When you think of a trench, what do you think of? Does a deep, dark hole come to mind? What about valleys on the ocean floors? Maybe even a large piece of digging equipment? Today we shall step into a deep, amazing world at the bottom of our oceans; a world that we call, the deep sea trenches!

***Due to the lame reasons of fatigue and brain fog, I plan to do a much smaller article than last time and I am not really trying very hard, but if more information is requested from you guys, I can do a part II on the subject in a couple weeks when I am feeling a bit more chipper.***

NOTE: The information in today’s topic was compiled from research and information found online from National Geographic, NOAA, discovery channel and other sources. It is together with images and diagrams found via Google images. I have very basic, limited knowledge of this subject, so the majority of the information was researched. I will do my best to provide the information in an organized, easy to follow and easier to understand format. I apologize ahead of time for any typos. If I appear to have missed something or mixed anything up, please feel free to PM if it bugs you, and I can fix it. Thanks and Enjoy!

First, what kind of trench are we talking about??
The ocean we see from above is a vast expanse of flowing water reflecting the dark blue of our skies. The surface really doesn’t change much in characteristics. There are waves and winds that very in intensity with the weather and a plethora of sea birds and surface marine life. Gulls and pelicans may skim the surface in some places and penguins may fly from the water in others. Near the oceans we can find turtles, seals and even polar bears. Dolphins swim in pods off the coasts and sharks hunt along the coral reefs, but what is below all that?
The surface of the planet is covered in mountains and valleys, lakes and streams and abundant in life. The bottom of our ocean is not different. There are vast ranges of mountains running along the ocean floors teeming with plant and marine life. Wait, did I say lakes? Well, yes I did! Scientists have even discovered extremely dense saltwater lakes in the deep reaches of the ocean floor. Here you can watch a video showing one of these marvels of the oceans below.

Back on the subject, these mountain ranges are where we find these trenches. The deeper you travel into the ocean, the higher the pressure from the water above. These deep places can be hard to explore, but with many advances in science and machinery, man has created underwater submersibles strong enough to withstand the high pressures of the depths.

A map of ocean trenches and ridges
“The deepest place on Earth is called the Challenger Deep. It is found in the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean, near the island of Guam. The Challenger Deep is 10,994 meters (36,070 feet) below the ocean’s surface. For comparison, Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain, is 8,850 meters (29,035 feet) above sea level. Mount Everest could fit inside the Mariana Trench with more than 2 kilometers (1 mile) to spare.
In June 2009, scientists sent an unmanned deep-sea robot, the Nereus, to explore the Mariana Trench and Challenger Deep. The vehicle had to be designed to withstand extreme pressure of 15,000 pounds per square inch—more than 1,000 times the pressure felt at sea level” (From nat geo)
The life found inside of trenches is unlike life found anywhere else on earth. Often, trenches can be so deep that no sunlight can penetrate that deeply. Without, sun how does life survive? Many of these creatures have evolved in ways that have allowed them to survive of different energy sources such as methane or sulfide gases released from underwater vents. Here are some pictures of such life.

From the mariana trench:

So ya.

Really sorry..I may try to revise this at some point. Is there anybody else who would like to put topics together to share? I can link them to the main page too. 🙁 have a great day everyone. Sorry. :/

Recently married to the ever lovable BiPolarBear (little John)
www.weaselsoneasels.com | www.facebook.com/weaselsoneasels

As seen on This is Life with Lisa Ling on CNN (2018) !
Always open for pyo commissions, repairs and fine artwork! Email me for current prices! awier(@)weaselsoneasels.com

[rock-reader]

Don’t apologize, 96037! I’m sure we all appreciate whatever you can do. It gets me thinking…I want to go do some more research – you’ve peaked my interest! Thank you

[Dragoneer_88]

Don’t stress yourself out doing these topics. We appreciate what you post. Do what you feel like and take all the time you need. 🙂
Heh, a few of these creatures remind me of some kind of anime characters, esp. the first one. XD And now the song, Weird Science by Oingo Boingo is in my head. Lol

[Kim]

Those creatures are cool! I saw a show on deep sea life one time and they showed a couple of these along with other really cool looking creatures! That little octopus is so cute! Thanks for posting about this. I have been really tired and not feeling great either myself otherwise I would add some to it.

Looking for rainbow or pink & teal grab bags!

[Lori]

During WWII, U.S. Air Force and Navy meteorologists tracking storms needed a better way to classify specific hurricanes while analyzing weather maps. Many began paying tribute to their wives and girlfriends back home by naming tropical cyclones after them.

As this became a common norm, some feminist taught back one even say that

>>>”Women are not disasters, destroying life and communities and leaving a lasting and devastating effect.”<<<

leading to means names being cycled into the mix.

Aaaaah, ha, ha, ha, ha!

This is a gem I was not aware of. In my timeline, Hurricanes (reminder, this is a native Floridian typing here) have been named with the rotating male and female format. My dog is named Ivan (formerly Rusty), since that was the hurricane that was impending when I decided I would adopt him. We were weathering it together, but the storm missed us entirely and had it’s fit in the Panhandle area. That was the year that we (Floridians) had approximately six weeks of back to back hurricanes (four total.)

As for the above quote. Oh yeah, they were quite right to point out the obvious.

I find it amazing how something well intentioned, yet not thoroughly thought out, became a ‘bone of contention’, so to speak.

Mostly women are NOT the destroyers. Throughout history though, there were SOME women that were.

Thanks for that gem.

~Hoofer

[Author]

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