[1]
Overview
Jeffrey Troksa, jtroksa2
Geographic Location
Topography of Tampa
Landsat Image of Tampa and surrounding areas by NASA: Robert Simmons
Climate
[14]
Population
[17]
Total population of Tampa in 2000 was 303,447 [18], while the 2006 census counted 332,888 citizens. [19]
Below are demographics of the 332,888 citizens of
Aspect
|
|
|
Female
|
50.3%
|
50.8%
|
Male
|
49.7%
|
49.2%
|
Caucasian
|
66.3%
|
73.9%
|
African-American
|
25.3%
|
12.4%
|
Asian
|
3.0%
|
4.4%
|
Other Race
|
3.4%
|
6.3%
|
Hispanic or Latino of any race
|
24.2%
|
14.8%
|
Speak multiple languages
|
25.4%
|
19.7%
|
Acquired High School Diploma
|
82.7%
|
84.1%
|
Acquired a Bachelor’s Degree or higher
|
29.2%
|
27.0%
|
Households
|
149,317
|
N/A
|
Median Value of Households
|
$206,500
|
$185,200
|
Persons per Household
|
2.36
|
2.61
|
Ecology
Recovering from effects of pollution, Tampa Bay is Florida’s largest estuary and a habitat for many different species of animals. Like most estuaries, Tampa Bay has freshwater rivers feeding into it along with saltwater from the ocean. Because of this and security from the giant monsters that prey upon them, Tampa Bay has become a home to all types of fish at least during some part of their growth process. Even the endangered Florida manatee has been able to make Tampa Bay its
home. These thousand pound creatures have been increasing their numbers in Florida through safe habitats like Tampa Bay. Some other inhabitants of the water here include the ghost crab, dolphins, the snook, the sea turtle, and the bay scallop. Land around the water is full of mangroves and marshes with giant trees, allowing nesting places to birds of all types. The El Nino rains in 1998 helped many bird species to almost triple before their numbers went back down in 1999, such as the White Ibis. It is also home to the rare blue heron, pelicans, and the America oystercatcher. Like the rest of Florida, vast mangroves full of diverse vegetation are a native inhabitant of Tampa. Cordgrasses and sea grapes are two of the dominant plants that fill the salt marshes and mangroves. Giving a home to about 200 species of fish and 25 different species of birds, the diverse plant life of Tampa gives the city a unique environment attracting tourists from all over the world to come view the distinctive wildlife. [20][21]
Economy
[25]
Agricultural Information
Urbanization
Transportation
Resources
[1] http://goflorida.about.com/od/tampa/ss/tampa_downtown.htm
[2] http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2006-01.xls
[4] http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm
[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hillsborough_County_Florida_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Tampa_Highlighted.svg
[7] US Geological Survey (http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#Highest">http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#Highest)
[8] US Census Bureau (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/1271000.html">http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/1271000.html)
[9] http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1051/">http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1051/
[10]http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16637">http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16637
[11] http://www.wordtravels.com/Cities/Florida/Tampa/Climate
[12]http://www.city-data.com/city/Tampa-Florida.html
[13]http://www.sercc.com/cgi-bin/sercc/cliMAIN.pl?fl8788
[14]http://www.city-data.com/city/Tampa-Florida.html
[15]http://www.rssweather.com/climate/Florida/Tampa/
[16]http://www.sercc.com/cgi-bin/sercc/cliMAIN.pl?fl8788
[17] http://www.floridahispano.com/assets/images/tampa2ED.jpg
[18] http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2006-01.xls
[19] http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US1714000&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US17%7C16000US1714000&_street=&_county=tampa&_cityTown=tampa&_state=04000US12&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2006_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry
[20] http://www.gulfbase.org/bay/view.php?bid=tampa
[21] http://www.tampaelectric.com/manatee/plantlife/
[22] http://www.answers.com/topic/tampa-economy
[23] http://www.tampachamber.com/economic_development.asp
[25] http://www.cnn.com/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/9703/tampa.florida/images/florida.bball.map.jpg
[26] http://www.tampa.world-guides.com/tampa_photos1.html
[27] http://www.tampagov.net/files/city_services_guide.pdf
[30] http://www.tampagov.net/information_resources/transportation_and_travel/Union_Station/index.asp
[31] http://www.flickr.com/photos/8348059@N02/1488232010/
Weather Impacts
Impact: Currently, thunderstorms help to revive Tampa’s Bay and Lake Okeechobee, since the 2007 drought that brought those waters 6 feet below its average 15 feet depth. Without thunderstorms, Tampa would still be suffering from drought.
El Nino
Michael Kehl, mkehl2
[3]
[4]
Lightning
Amber McNelis, mcnelis2
One of the most common forms of destructive weather occurrences, lightning, strikes about 3 million times a day worldwide. [5] Most commonly occurring during thunderstorms, lightning is a release of electrical energy in the atmosphere. The formation of lightning is still greatly fought about by scientists, even though it occurs so often. All that is known is the electrical power constructs within the thunderstorm cloud and is released through a bolt of lightning. [6] Thunderstorm clouds are able to produce thousands of lightning strikes. [7] The types of strikes are categorized by the location of the starting and end points of the strike, including cloud to ground, cloud to cloud, and ground to cloud. All of these are caused by the electrical charge between the two objects. There are many classifications of lightning. Two well-known types are heat lightning and sheet lightning. Although given different names from different locations, both of these types are simply regular lightning further from the storm. For instance, heat lightning may seem to be lightning on a calm night, but there is actually a thunderstorm in the distance producing the lightning. From the place where the “heat lightning” is seen, the thunder cannot be heard. [8]
Tampa is sometimes referred to as the lightning capital of the nation. Although chances of being killed by lightning are very slim, the number of deaths from lightning is about ten deaths per year in Florida. [9] Thunderstorms, where most lightning is produced, occur most often in the summer months in Florida. Most summer afternoons, thunderstorms will erupt and last for a while, sometimes becoming quite severe, but bringing behind it a nice, calm evening. Due to the frequency of lightning during summer afternoons, many construction and landscaping companies, water parks, and other places end up packing up and closing during these storms in order to ensure safety for the people. [8]
Jenna Vickers, jvicke2
A downburst is created by an area of rain-cooled air that, after hitting the ground level spreads out in all directions creating strong winds. These winds can get up to 150 miles per hour. It can be said that they sound like a giant whistle, and get extremely loud. Downbursts create vertical wind shear which is one of the primary ingredients for a thunderstorm. [10]
Table 1. Dry vs. Wet Microburst Characteristics
|
||
Characteristic
|
Dry Microburst
|
Wet Mircoburst
|
Location of Highest Probability
|
Midwest/West
|
Southeast
|
[11]
There are lasting effects from downbursts; in fact damage from downbursts can be so severe that it can be mistaken for tornado damage. However, when closely looking at the damage pattern from a downburst it is divergent, which means the winds were flowing outward, rather than in a circular pattern like a tornado. Downburst damage can cover hundreds of square miles, or just a single field, “microbursts” are the names given to the small ones. [12]
Although not much can be found on the frequency of downbursts in Tampa, Florida, they most definitely do occur there. Summertime in Florida is the main time when downbursts occur, because there are many thunderstorms every afternoon which can sometimes become severe. These severe thunderstorms can include downbursts. However, the storms usually disappear by mid evening. According to the chart above Tampa would most likely experience wet microbursts. [13]
[14]
Tropical cyclones are violent and deadly storms that affect much of the coastal areas in the
With the severity of hurricanes, and the location of
If a hurricane were to directly strike
Inside a hurricane
[14]
Case Study - Hurricane of 1921
[23]
On October 20, 1921 a “tropical disturbance” was spotted in the southwestern Caribbean near
Hurricane Track
Since the hurricane of 1921,
[28]
Heat Waves
by Troy Sieburg (sieburg2)
Heat waves are one of the leading causes of weather-related death in the
Heat Index Chart[35]
Heat waves are defined on a geographical basis, because the temperatures that constitute a heat wave vary from place to place. Generally, a heat wave is considered a sustained period where the temperatures are above average.[36]
In
Since
Floods
by Mark Knaub (mknaub2)
Compared to other weather-related phenomena, flooding accounts for the highest amount of property damage in the
The weather system affecting
Between June and November, tropical cyclones (hurricanes and tropical storms) affect the
The same tropical cyclones that generate coastal flooding are capable of producing flash floods. When a tropical cyclone makes landfall, it may slow down significantly, while continuing to produce exceptional amounts of rainfall[51]. If such a tropical cyclone makes landfall near
[53]
Blizzards
Lauren Mazurski - lmazur4
[54]
Blizzards are a type of dangerous winter storm that consist of high wind speeds and blowing snow resulting in low visibility. Very cold temperatures and a heavy snowfall are often present in a blizzard, but are not required for a storm to be considered a blizzard. This is because a ground blizzard is possible when snow is already present on the ground. In this type of blizzard, high wind speeds pick the already fallen snow off the ground and blow it, reducing visibility. The National Weather Service officially describes a blizzard as “a storm which contains large amounts of snow OR blowing snow, with winds in excess of
Blizzards often form on the northwest side of an intense snow storm. The very strong winds are formed when the cool air and warm air meet, causing a tight pressure gradient. [56] If snow is not already present on the ground, the storm cloud must have enough moisture and temperatures that are freezing in order to create the snow. Once the snow falls, if the temperatures stay close to freezing, it will remain as snow, and not melt all the way to the ground. [57] In
Average Temperature (F)
|
|||||||||||
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
59.9
|
61.5
|
66.6
|
71.3
|
77.4
|
81.3
|
82.4
|
82.4
|
80.9
|
74.8
|
67.5
|
62.2 |
[58]
Although blizzards may be fairly common in northern-more states, the location of Tampa closer to the equator, helps keep the city relatively warm, rarely reaching freezing temperatures that snow can form in.
Case Study - Microburst Strikes
by Troy Sieburg (sieburg2)
The reflectivity image showing the hail core (pink center) just before the microburst.
On March 14, 2005 a microburst along with a storm hit
The storm formed in an area of unstable air along the edge of a band of convection which formed around the right rear quadrant of a 250 mb jet streak.[61] The storm intensified as it reached the shore and was at its strongest as it was moving across
Dry air and strong winds above 800 mb could have caused the bow shape that was following the microburst as seen in the reflectivity image.[63] This aided the intensity of the storm by increasing momentum into the cell, hence, making the microburst stronger.[64]
The microburst was forecast well because meteorologists were warned that such an event may occur when they looked at the sounding pictured below. In the sounding, the air is very moist and nearly saturated up to about 800 mb. The air right above this level is very dry and cold as seen on the sounding. When the warmer air mixes with the colder air above, the large difference in temperature causes the severe downdraft that is present in a microburst. The level of free convection is 868 mb and the lifted index is -1.0. This indicates the possibilities of thunderstorms.
Sounding on the day on which the microburst passed through
Drought
Jeffrey Troksa, jtroksa2
[66]
Drought is a generally a term to describe a lowing of a geographical region’s water supply. It is mostly due to a decrease or disappearance of rainfall for that region. This weather (or lack of weather) event is particularly dangerous as it effects almost all facets of the economy and ecosystem. Agriculture is hit particularly hard, as plants die off rapidly in prolonged drought periods. Costs rise and economies fall as well. If water supply gets too low, rationing and water conservation laws are often ordered by local governments in order to wait out whatever. [67]
On the surface,
It is very difficult to predict a time length for a drought. While
Tornadoes
Leo Rotstein
[72]
Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that extend from a thunderstorm cloud to the ground.[73] They can have a width anywhere from 50 ft to half a mile and can have winds ranging from 50 to 300 mph.[74] Their strength is measured on what is known as the Enhanced Fujita scale, which ranges from a weak F0 to a powerful F5.[75] Tornadoes occur year round with an average of 800 tornadoes a year resulting in 80 deaths and 1500 injuries.[76] They are typically associated with Supercell thunderstorms, but are possible with any type of thunderstorm. Additionally, in coastal areas like
Since a typical tornado forms out of a thunderstorm, the factors necessary for tornado creation are those necessary for severe thunderstorms: high moisture in the mid and lower levels of the atmosphere, highly unstable air, and a lifting force for the air.[78] This sets the conditions for a strong updraft that is associated with thunderstorms and consequently tornadoes. Additionally, strong vertical wind shear is required to create tilting, which creates the strong rotation seen in powerful thunderstorms. The tornado forms inside of these powerful thunderstorms, in the updraft region near the hook echo of the storm.
Tornadoes have been documented in every one of the United States and on every continent.[79]
There are also interesting weather phenomena seen in the
[85]
Historically tornadoes have not caused much damage in
Case Study - 12/25/2006
[87]
On
[88]
The meteorological conditions across the
[89]
The line moved into the eastern part of the gulf coast by the morning of the 25th. Here vertical wind shear began to rotate the storms and create turning winds. The wind shear can be seen by looking at the surface and 850mb winds in the sounding. The presence of an unstable atmosphere helped induce these rotating thunderstorms. These storms intensified and eventually produced four tornadoes, one of which struck The Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club.
[90]
This tornado did not occur in the usual summer months where strong thunderstorms are common, but instead during the winter season. This is unusual, but not unheard of in the area. The conditions surrounding the tornado were what one would expect in the
While the tornado was weak, it still did a fair amount of damage and made a lasting impact. Nearly 100 homes were damaged. Fifteen were left uninhabitable.[93] There was little to no warning. A severe thunderstorm warning was in effect, but there were no mentions of tornadoes. A first responder in the neighborhood, Janice Bacso was not notified until her beeper went off, even though she lives blocks from where the tornado hit. "I stepped out of my house and into a war zone," she said.[94] Emergency crews were slow to respond, and by the time the Red Cross arrived with supplies, most people had already been assisted by their neighbors. This storm did not result in particular changes to the Golf Club’s tornado safety policies, but it did raise awareness around
Jenna Vickers, jvicke2