Debris Clouds Visual Cues of a Tornado Touchdown

A  debris cloud forms when the wind speeds of a tornado pick up very heavy objects and swirl them around in a dense cloud around the base or the funnel cloud itself. One of the most dangerous parts of a  tornado  can be its debris cloud.   In fact, items such as trucks, tractors, cars, animals, and people can be swirled around in a debris cloud. Not all tornadoes produce heavy debris clouds and not all tornadoes have enough sustained winds to pull up large objects. Therefore, the primary component of most debris clouds is dust and small bits of debris. Debris Formation A tornados debris cloud actually starts to form even before the funnel descends from the thunderstorm cloud downward to the ground. As the funnel descends, dust and loose objects on the area directly underneath it at the Earths surface will begin rotating and may even lift several feet off of the ground and swing out hundreds of yards wide in response to the air movement above. After the funnel touches the ground and becomes a tornado,  the debris cloud travels along with the storm.   As the tornado travels along its path, its winds continue to carry nearby objects airborne. The size of the objects within  its debris cloud depend on the strength of the tornados winds. Usually, however, the debris cloud whirls around smaller objects and dirt particles while the funnel cloud carries larger debris pieces. This is why the debris cloud color is normally gray or black. It can take on other colors depending on what it picks up. Keeping Safe From Tornado Debris The majority of tornado injuries and deaths occur not because of storm winds, but because of debris. In fact, the three main tornado safety tips—get low and cover your head, wear a helmet, wear shoes—are all meant to reduce your risk of encountering debris. Take the duck and cover position: By getting as low to the ground as you can you reduce the chance of being struck by airborne objects and debris. Covering your head with your arms or a blanket provides an extra layer of defense.Wear  a helmet: Since 2011, many people have added a bike, motorcycle, or sports helmet to their tornado preparedness kit. As bizarre as it sounds, when you consider that the single largest cause of tornado deaths is head trauma it suddenly makes good sense.  Wear  shoes:  If a tornado strikes when youre at home, youll likely be barefoot or wearing socks, which means your feet will be defenseless as you navigate your way over litter and glass after the storm. This is why its a good idea to always include a pair of lightweight portable footwear in your safety kit. By observing the takeoff and landing points of storm debris, scientists are able to learn how the debris, and therefore, the storm, traveled.   Updated by Tiffany Means

##ism, Imagery, And Symbolism In Cathedral By Raymond...

The short story â€Å"Cathedral† is written by Raymond Carver. It is being narrated by a man whose wife invited an old friend and person she used to work for to come visit due to his wife dying. The old friend is a blind man whose name is Robert. The author in the â€Å"Cathedral† uses symbolism, imagery, and irony to provide more meaning to the story. The narrator of the story has a stereotypical opinion on blind people while being blind to his own imperfections, but he is able to start seeing it more clearly through the blind man’s eyes. As the story goes on they are able to connect on another level and achieve their brotherhood as they sit and talk more in-depth and when the narrator began to draw the cathedral with his eyes closed†¦show more content†¦This object represents the relationship they formed along with compassion and understanding without having to physically see each other. Instead, it requires listening and emotions. At the beginning the narrators stereotypes caused him to be the total opposite of what the tapes had symbolized to his wife. His wife looked forward to the tapes but the narrator on the other hand became more jealous and could’ve cared less. In addition to the symbolism, the narrator’s observation is ironic because he thinks that because he has the ability to see he brings more happiness to his wife than Robert could to his. He thinks that Robert’s wife had to be pitiful while being married to him because he was not able to see her, tell her she’s beautiful, or see the love in her eyes. It shows how the narrator views relationships, because of this, the narrator doesn’t see that Robert was able to look past the physical appearance. He could genuinely feel the heart of another and connect to them instead of it being based on their appearance. Another Irony example is used when the narrator goes from being stereotypical about blind people while being blind to his own faults, to now being able to see more clearly through his own eyes by having the help from the blind man. Afterwards, the narrator is able to see more clearly and make the connection to the blind man. He also see that the stereot ypes that he originally had, not just

Why Put Lime Into a Pond free essay sample

Ponds naturally become more and more acidic throughout the day. This is because rain, pine needles, decaying plants, and clay pond bottoms all contribute to acidity. If the pH level of the pond water falls below 4, the water has become too acidic to sustain fish life. Lime can neutralize this acidity, raise the pH, with the following process: Lime is calcium oxide. Calcium oxide reacts with carbon dioxide, forming calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate neutralizes the acids that form naturally in ponds. This happens because when the lime is in contact with the water, it chemically changes into calcium hydroxide. The important part of this step is to know that the O ions come together with the H ions, as seen below: CaO(s) + H2O(l) Ca(OH)2(s) The OH ions are the bases. In acidic water, many H3O+ ions will be present. These are the acids. When an acid in base come together, they neutralize, or cancel each other out. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Put Lime Into a Pond? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They turn into water as seen below: H3O+ + OH- 2H2O Fish can live in a wide range of pH, but if the pH changes rapidly the fish will die. Therefore, lime is put into ponds as an indirect source of OH- ions to neutralize with the H3O+ ions that form naturally from acid sources such as rain and pine needles. A common environmental problem in ponds that can be treated with lime is levels of pathogens. The alkali calcium hydroxide can create pH levels up to 12. 4. At levels 12 and up, many dangerous pathogens cannot survive, because their cell membrane would be destroyed. However, this method of treating pathogens would only be efficient in a pond where fish can be temporarily removed. Fish can only survive between pH levels of 4 and 10. Also, there are times when a pond can have too many nutrients. For instance, if there are many dead carcasses or if there is a lot of waste, eutrophication occurs. This can lead to a surplus of algae. SOURCES: Base (chemistry) -. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 26 July 2009. . Calcium hydroxide -. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 26 July 2009. . Chemical of the Week Lime. Science is Fun in the Lab of Shakhashiri. 26 July 2009 . Environmental Uses of Lime. National Lime Association. 26 July 2009