Unit 1 #12 Practice FRQ

Geographers, meteorologists, and public officials track the course of severe weather events such as hurricanes. One important goal is to predict where and when these events will impact human populations. The technology used to collect this data has changed over time.

Identify a similarity in the information presented in the maps of the Galveston Hurricane and Hurricane Sandy.

Explain how the information in the map of the Galveston Hurricane may have been collected.

Explain why the information in the map of Hurricane Sandy would be more useful than the information in the map of the Galveston Hurricane.

Identify one tool that is available today to track severe weather events that was not available in 1900.

Describe how the estimate of Hurricane Sandy’s course that used polar-orbiting satellites was different from the estimate that did not.

Explain the extent to which the difference identified in Task E would help decision-makers in the regions affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Explain why it is important to decision-makers to have accurate geographic data about severe weather events.