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| For more information on these science news and feature story tips, please contact the public information officer at the end of each item at (703) 292-8070. Contents of this Tipsheet:
BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE "TWISTER" HAS REAL-LIFE SPINAmong the inspirations for "Twister," the current blockbuster movie about researchers who chase tornadoes in the Midwest, are scientists affiliated with an NSF project known as VORTEX, Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment. The group from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, spent two spring tornado seasons (1994 and 1995) "chasing" severe storms in vans, mobile Doppler radar trucks, cars and planes. Buffeted by wind and rain, they were trying to find storms that would likely spawn tornadoes. Weather data was collected to see how and when severe storms result in tornadoes, and how intense these twisters are, with the goal of developing better warning systems. The danger and excitement of their pursuit, not to mention the wild weather, are what the movie's producers hope is captured in "Twister." But scientists from NCAR warn that chasing twisters is dangerous business, and should only be attempted by those who know what they're doing. For those who would like to learn more, and stay safe and dry in the process, visit the VORTEX Web site at: http://antietam.nssl.uoknor. [Cheryl Dybas]
WHY DOES A TWISTER TWIST? ASK 'THE WHY FILES'The average American likes science, but finds it complicated and sometimes unapproachable...like a tornado. A tornado may be a fascinating scientific phenomenon, but non- scientists are advised to keep their distance. A more approachable and safer means to study tornadoes - and other science mysteries -- is through the NSF-funded World Wide Web site called The Why Files. The award winning web site is operated by the National Institute for Science Education located at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The Why Files help answer some of the basic science questions connected to current events and everyday life. You can find out, for example, how latent heat created by rising warm air and condensing water vapor create the energy for the spiraling, twisting air currents of a tornado that are both visually enticing and very dangerous. You can find out the science behind why certain basketball players jump higher than others. Turn to a site of "Cool Images," such as the planet Venus, and learn about its characteristics. Or you may choose a site to enter a Comet's orbit. The newest edition of The Why Files explores why mosquitoes bite. A look at forest fires is also in the new edition. Scientists continue to grapple with the broader problem of helping the public understand and become enthused about research and discovery. Most everyday people, though, have the answers right in The Why Files. The Why Files are located at: http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu [Bill Noxon]
WEATHER-CHANGING OCEAN WAVES CHARTED FROM SPACENew results from the ocean-observing TOPEX/Poseidon satellite are challenging a fundamental oceanographic theory about the speed of large-scale ocean waves -- a finding that could ultimately revise science textbooks and improve global weather forecasting. The large-scale ocean waves, with wavelengths of hundreds of kilometers from one wave crest to the next, are called Rossby waves. These waves carry a "memory" of weather changes that have happened at distant locations over the ocean, according to NSFfunded researcher Dudley Chelton of Oregon State University in Corvallis. Using data gathered by the satellite, scientists tracked the waves as they moved through the open ocean, and determined that, at mid-latitudes, the Rossby waves are moving two to three times faster than previously thought. Since Rossby waves can alter currents and corresponding sea surface temperatures, the waves influence the way the oceans release heat to the atmosphere and thus are able to affect weather patterns. Says Chelton, "If the waves get from one side of the mid-latitude ocean to the other twice as fast, the ocean adjusts more rapidly to changes than we had previously thought." This more precise information about how fast the waves are traveling may help forecasters improve their ability to predict the effects of El Nino events on weather patterns years in advance. [Cheryl Dybas]
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