1. Hurricanes Lesson Global Precipitation Measurement Mission
Developed by the GPM Education and Public Outreach Team
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

2. How is water helpful to humans? How is water harmful to humans?
Engage: Water
Activator:
How is water helpful to humans?
How is water harmful to humans?

3. Engage: Natural Hazards
What are some natural hazards?
Too Much Water
Too Little Water

4. Too Much, Too Little Engage: Video
As the students view the video, they should see how many of the hazards in this video are on their list.
Clicking the image will open a QuickTime version of the video. If that doesn’t work, the link will take you to a page where the video can be streamed or downloaded in *.mp4 format. For other format options, see

5. Explore: Measuring Rainfall
How do we measure rainfall?
Students think-pair-share, “How do we measure rainfall?” Record their answers.

6. How many rain gauges are out there?
Explore: Rain Gauges
How many rain gauges are out there?
Say, “Take a look at this short animation about the number of rain gauges around the world.”
Click the link to show this animated video short about how few rain gauges there are on Earth. (Ones that scientists use to collect data.)
Note that there are very few in the ocean – which covers most of Earth’s surface.
Clicking the image will open a QuickTime version of the video. If that doesn’t work, the link will take you to a page where the video can be streamed or downloaded in *.mp4 format. For other format options, see

7. Hurricanes Explore: Hurricanes
The focus for the rest of this lesson will be on hurricanes and how technology is being used to help make more accurate predictions about hurricanes. Knowing approximately where and when a hurricane may make landfall is very important for informing the populations in the affected areas and providing information that helps people to make decisions about what to do in the event that a hurricane impacts their area.
Credit: NASA Earth Observatory, Super Typhoon Utor,

8. Average Sea Surface Temperatures for August
Explain: August SST
Average Sea Surface Temperatures for August
Discuss the warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico along the US East coast and some of the effects they can have. (Warmer air above the ocean, more evaporation, this warmer air will rise, etc.)
Explain how warmer waters add ‘fuel’ to hurricanes. Warmer sea surface temperatures are often associated with stronger hurricanes.
Show the two SST maps - or have color copies for each student group made in advance.

9. Explain: SST August versus February
Have students answer question 9 on their capture sheet. (Go over the correct answer, which is August because MUCH more of the ocean is at, or above, 26.5oC.)
SST 2 - February

10. Explore: Dangers of Hurricanes
What are some dangers posed by hurricanes and the heavy rainfall they bring?

11. Explore: Storm Threats
“Shepherd said that the event will bring significant rains and inland freshwater flooding… [which is] often the deadliest threat from tropical systems.”
Underline is to emphasize the importance of collecting data about precipitation in a hurricane before it strikes land.
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (2012, October 26). Hurricane Sandy looks as 'Frankenstorm' approaching U.S. East Coast. ScienceDaily.

12. Explore: Hurricane Katrina
Click the link to go to the video.
There is no dialog, but the images are very dramatic. (Note: You may want to silence the video in advance as there is a commercial that precedes the video trailer. You might also want to advance through the commercial, before class and pause it until you’re ready to show it.)

13. Explore: Tools to Study Precipitation
What tool do Earth scientists use to gather great amounts of data about global precipitation?
Satellites
NASA TRMM
NASA GPM
Students think-pair-share the question, “What tool do Earth scientists use to gather great amounts of data about global precipitation?”
Click once someone mentions satellites.

14. Explain: Hurricanes Beyond the Tropics
GPM: Hurricanes Beyond the Tropics
Hurricane Irene's impact in New England shows that tropical cyclones can greatly affect regions outside the view of TRMM.
Clicking the image will open a QuickTime version of the video. If that doesn’t work, the link will take you to a page where the video can be streamed or downloaded in *.mp4 format. For other format options, see

15. Explain: Data from GPM
How can data gathered by this mission be useful to those who have to decide on the actions citizens should take before a big storm hits?
Students think-pair-share the question, “How can data gathered by this mission be useful to those who have to decide on the actions citizens should take before a big storm hits?”
Solicit responses.

16. Explain: Costliest Hurricanes
Point out Katrina at the top. It is still the costliest storm ever – even more so than Sandy.
Hurricane Katrina (2005) was the costliest hurricane to hit the U.S. – $133,800,000,000!!!

17. Explain: Deadliest Hurricanes
Ask, “Why do think the storms the early 1900’s were so deadly?”
Be sure to emphasize that there were not nearly as many ways to measure a storm at sea; therefore, predictions were not nearly as good as today. Also, there were not many good ways to get information out to the public quickly.
These are two reasons scientists developed better tools – and continue to do so today.
Why do think the storms in the late 1800s and early 1900s were so deadly?

18. Explain: Comparing Rainfall Data
Rainfall Data Image 1
Soulik
Rainfall Data Image 2
Dorian

19. Evaluate: Which storm is more dangerous?
Sea Surface Temperature
Storm A
Storm B
Use these data images to complete the Brief Constructed Response.

20. “Towers in the Tempest”
Extend: Hot Towers
“Towers in the Tempest”
Clicking the image will open an *.mp4 version of the video. If that doesn’t work, the link will take you to a page where the video can be streamed or downloaded in *.mp4 format. For other format options, see

21. Extend: Comparing Storm Intensity
Comparing the Hot Towers of Two Storms
Which of these storms is likely be the most intense?
Hurricane Henriette
Typhoon Talim