Writing Assignment:  Hurricanes!

Writing Assignment:  Hurricanes!

40 points  (scaled to 100 pts)

 

Hurricanes have been making headlines over the last few years, with each event seemingly more destructive than the last.  Last September, hurricane Dorian decimated the Bahamas.  It was the strongest hurricane to ever hit the island nation, and left 70,000 people homeless. Also in September, Hurricane Lorenzobecame the easternmost Category 5 hurricane strongest hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Since 1900, there is only one known incidence of a tropical storm making landfall in California.  In 1939 the remnants of a hurricane impacted southern California, dropping nearly a foot of rainfall in less than 24 hours in the San Gabriel mountains northeast of Los Angeles and causing 93 deaths in the Long Beach area.  It has been suggested that climate change is resulting in a greater frequency and intensityof hurricanes, and that perhaps it is only a matter of time before California experiences the effects of a full-blown hurricane.

 

In your essay you will describe what a hurricane is, make connections between hurricane formation and concepts learned in class, and speculate as to the future of hurricanes, including whether California may someday be at risk.

 

The goals of this writing assignment are to:

• Apply concepts learned in the first five lab sessions
• Interpret and explain current scientific data
• Practice writing in the style of a formal scientific paper
• Learn about hurricanes

 

SOURCES: 

Limit yourself to the course textbook, the lab documents, this document, and the following website from the National Hurricane Center (part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA) as you complete this assignment:

 

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/

Focus on the information provided in the “Tropical Cyclone Climatology” section, though you are welcome to browse the rest of the website, including the “Educational Resources” tab.

 

QUESTIONS TO ADDRESS:

In your essay, you need to use the data provided in your sources to address the following questions:

 

What is a Hurricane?

What is a hurricane?  When and where do they occur?  Which regions of the U.S. are most prone to hurricanes, and how frequently?

 

Hurricanes andSolar Insolation

Expand on the relationship between hurricanes and solar insolation.  Where on the planet do hurricanes originate and why?  What causes hurricanes to “die out”? You should referto Figure #1 on page 3 of this document, as well as the map in the “Overview” section of the “Tropical Cyclone Climatology” website.EXTRA CREDIT (+3 points):  Include a short paragraph explaining why the northern half of South America (Brazil, Ecuador, Peru) is NOT prone to hurricanes (**You may use outside sources to answer this question**).

 

Hurricanes and California

Review again the information in the textbook, the figures at the end of this lab document, and the Hurricane

Center websitementioned above.  This final section of your paper should address the following:

 

–Based on your understanding of hurricanes, what conditions would need to exist for California to be at risk of

a hurricane making landfall?

–Might an El Niño eventsomeday play a future role ina hurricane striking our state?

–Does the data in Figures #1 – #9support or refute the idea that California is becoming more likely to be at

risk of hurricanes in the next 50 years?  Or, you may choose to explain why the data provided is inconclusive.

State your position clearly and definitively. Use the data provided in Figures #1 through #9 and the

Hurricane Center website to support your position.

 

 

Writing Guide

 

Formatting Requirements:

• 12 pt font (Times, Times Roman, Calibri or similar)
• double space
• 1” margins
• 5page limit (not including a separate page for Works Cited)
• A creative title (NOT “Writing Assignment”)

 

Introduction

• Specifically state the purpose of the paper. Focus on the essay’s content.
• Briefly state what will be discussed in each of the body paragraphs. Each of these statements should be one sentence, and should simply introduce the concepts.
• Describe the type of data/information you are working with. Describe the nature of that information. For example: “Voter election data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau will be analyzed.”
• TIP: Do not report any conclusions here. In other words, don’t give away the ending!   Save this for your concluding paragraph.

 

Body Paragraphs

Use the subheadings provided for each of the three sections (Ex:  What is a Hurricane?).  You should have 1 – 2 paragraphs per section.  Focus on the data. You will be making general qualitative statements about hurricanes, connections between hurricane formation and solar insolation, and hurricane trends.

• Keep the paper formal. Do not use “I”.

NO:  “I analyzed the data. . .”

YES:  “The data was analyzed. . .”

NO:  “It is clear from looking at the map that . . .”

YES:  “The map shows that . . .”

• Keep it simple. Limit yourself to the information provided.
• Provide specific examples to support your statements. Don’t forget to use in-text citation when you provide your examples.  Example:  “Hurricanes tend to form near the tropics (Figure #1).”

 

Conclusion:

In a single paragraph, this section should serve as a review of the critical take-away messages from each of the main body paragraphs and the essay in general. Do not repeat earlier statements.  If you repeat earlier statements, you are not summarizing. Most of the supporting evidence for this section has already been stated in the body paragraphs.

 

Citation of Sources and Academic Honesty

A word document with proper citation format for Labs, the Geography textbook, and lectures will be provided for you. Use this to create a“Works Cited” page as well as provide reference to your sources within the body of the text.  Claiming another person’s ideas or information as your own (by failing to cite the source of the content) is considered plagiarism.  All university policies regarding plagiarism and academic honesty apply to this paper.  Plagiarism, including allowing your own work to be plagiarized, will result in zero points and a referral to office of Student Judicial Affairs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Writing Assignment:  Hurricanes	6	5	4	3	2	1	0
Introduction The introduction is engaging, states the main goal of the paper and previews the general structure of the content to be presented, including the type of data that will be analyzed.
What is a Hurricane?  A complete, accurate discussion of hurricanes is presented
Hurricanes and Insolation  Data is used to draw a clear link between hurricane formation and solar insolation.
EXTRA CREDIT Why is the northern half of South American NOT prone to hurricanes
Hurricanes, California, and El NiñoA clear discussion about the future of hurricanes.  A conclusion is drawn based on the data provided.
ConclusionA summary of the paper is presented.
Works Cited
Format
Grammar
Rough Draft Two hard copies of a complete first draft.	Complete 1st Draft 6		Some effort 3		Minimal effort 1
TOTAL (40 points/100 points)