Hurricanes, Tornadoes & Monsoons
Explain how hurricanes form and intensify over warm ocean water (latent heat release, low-pressure spiral); describe tornado formation within supercell thunderstorms; explain monsoon mechanics driven by temperature differences between land and sea; introduce attribution science — how scientists use climate models to calculate whether and by how much climate change increased the probability or intensity of a specific extreme weather event
Typical age: 12–13 years
“When scientists say that climate change made a recent hurricane stronger, can your child explain what they actually mean and how scientists figure that out — what kind of calculation lets them link a specific storm to climate change?”
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- Extreme Weather EventsREQUIRED
Mechanistic explanation of hurricanes and extreme weather depends on extreme weather overview
- Global Wind PatternsREQUIRED
Mechanistic explanation of hurricanes and tornadoes depends on global atmospheric circulation patterns
- Reading Ancient Climate RecordsREQUIRED
Extreme weather attribution science requires understanding climate models, connecting to broader climate science methodology
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