Surging Storm

Purpose: To understand the effect of the storm surge during a hurricane

Materials

• small electric fan
• construction paper
• scissors
• dishpan
• tape
• water
• grease pencil

Procedure

1. Make a funnel out of construction paper to fit over the fan.
2. Tape it to the wide end of the fan to concentrate the wind.
3. Fill the dishpan with water to within about 5 cm of the top.
4. Mark the water level at one end of the pan with the grease pencil.
5. Position the fan so that it will blow towards the marked end.
6. Turn the fan on so that the wind blows across the surface of the water.
7. Note the water level and mark with the grease pencil.
8. Turn off the fan and measure the difference between the first mark and the second mark.
9. Record in science journal.
10. Repeat steps 5-9 but tilt the dishpan to raise the water level near the first mark to create a high tide.

Conclusion

1. Explain storm surge.
2. Explain how a high tide would affect the storm surge and coastal damage.
3. Conduct research on recent hurricanes to find out the storm surge heights and total amount of damage. Explain how the two are related.