Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
This study used the Storm Prediction Center’s Severe Weather Database to determine whether tornado characteristics changed based on time or with climate change. The tornado characteristics looked at included the F-scale, width, length, and total number of tornados. Each of these characteristics was graphed on both decadal and annual scales to see whether there was any relationship between them and time. To examine climate change, data from the Goddard Institute for Space Studies of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was used to determine the temperature gradient between the North Pole and the Equator, as the poles warm faster than the rest of the Earth. The aforementioned tornado characteristics were then looked at with regards to these temperature gradients to determine any relationships. Despite all of the different variables tested, there were little to no significant relationships found.
Date Awarded
2016
Department
Geology
Advisor 1
Christopher M. Bailey
Recommended Citation
Springmann, Sarah, "Changes in Tornados along the Eastern United States: A Study of Tornados over Time with Climate Change" (2016). Geology Senior Theses. William & Mary. Paper 377.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/geologyseniors/377
